Lily's Final Gift
by FlashOfFlame
Summary: Harry retrieves the Resurrection Stone and wishes that he got to know his parents before their lives were so cruelly snatched away, and a Jar of Memories that lay forgotten for several long years conveniently comes to the rescue! He gets to know his parents all right, all from Lily's point of view... But will he like what he sees? Please Read and Review! Thanks, FlashOfFlame
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Prologue**

It was a cold, blustery autumn evening in the quiet village of Godric's Hollow. The sun lay low in the sky as the main street gradually emptied, with no one wanting to face the cold, post-sunset winds that howled all night. All was silent when a small _pop_ was heard in the alleyway off the main street. A second later, a man and a woman appeared out of what looked like thin air, and the man tucked a silvery cloak into his bag. Holding hands, the set off together towards the graveyard.

"I don't think anyone saw us," said Harry Potter sombrely, looking at his companion, a medium-heighted witch with flame-red hair. Her honey-brown eyes stared deeply into his almond-shaped, green ones. "I don't think so, either," she said softly. She knew the emotional turmoil he was going through. It was the anniversary of his parents' deaths, and he'd returned from Auror training early in order to visit their graves. She had insisted on going along, and he'd acquiesced.

Ginny Weasley looked worriedly at Harry. He hadn't said much from the time they'd set off, and he'd seemed preoccupied. She followed him into the graveyard and said gently, "Let's split up, Harry, unless – unless you remember –?" He nodded curtly and she followed him, walking a little faster to keep up with him. He kept walking at a frenetic pace, walking through the gravestones without so much as sparing a look towards them, until abruptly coming to a stop.

"Here they are," he said, his voice a little thick. She quickly slipped her hand into his, and squeezed it as she read 'Lily Potter' and 'James Potter' on two gravestones, side by side, with the same mark, rather like a triangular eye, on them. She raised her wand and conjured a flower wreath, and handed it to Harry wordlessly, who proceeded to put it on his mother's grave. She repeated her spell and he placed the second wreath the other grave.

Harry turned around and looked at her straight in the eye. "There's something you need to know," he said, his voice steadier than before. She looked nonplussed. He continued, "I lied to you. The night of the battle, I dropped it in the forest. I said I was going to leave it there, but I didn't." He paused, waiting for his words to sink in. She looked dumbfounded; he didn't blame her. He'd told her exactly what had happened in the forest after he'd set off on the final walk to his death, and she knew about him recalling Lily, James, Sirius and Lupin. He quickly continued, "I went looking for it the next day, and I found it." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small, black stone. She saw the triangular mark on it, identical to the one on the graves. There was no mistaking what it was; it was the Resurrection Stone, the second of the Deathly Hallows.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you go back looking for it?" He looked uncomfortable. "I know, I know, no spell can reawaken the dead, and they don't truly belong to the living. It's just… I never got to know them. What kind of people they were when they attended Hogwarts, how they fell for each other, how they battled side-by-side for the Order of the Phoenix, you know…? _Their_ story. As if _they_ were telling _me_."

Ginny sighed. She understood his desire to see his parents again, but she knew that calling others back from death was unnatural, and too much attachment to the dead would sink him into a sea of despair. "Promise me," she said, "Just this once. Then you will let them rest in peace. I will dispose of the stone." He looked at her, and nodded. "Yes, I promise," he said. She nodded once and he took the stone in his palm. He closed his eyes and turned it three times in his hand.

He knew it had worked, just like he'd known it the last time. He opened his eyes and saw them standing in front of him, smiling at him lovingly.

"Well done, son," said James, "You destroyed Voldemort and fulfilled your destiny. We are… So proud of you." Harry nodded back, throat too constricted to speak. James instead turned to Ginny and said approvingly, "A Quidditch player, _and_ a redhead. A worthy choice, son." He laughed.

"Can you make yourself visible to her?" he said, "So that she doesn't think I'm a nutter, speaking to my dead parents?" Lily smiled sadly. "I'm afraid we're visible only to you, sweetheart," she said softly. "But we can help you another way." He stole a glance at Ginny, who was looking at him with an intense gaze, as though she couldn't understand what to make of what he was doing. He quickly turned back to Lily. "How so?"

"We heard your wish," she said, "And so, I will let you in on a little secret that no one knows. You see, I kept a journal," she continued, a wide smile on her face, "Until your father –" she looked sideways, "Told me what a Muggle I was being, and asked me to store my thoughts and memories _magically_ instead." She looked at James again, and he rolled his eyes. "Thus was created the Jar of Memories. It's still there in your room," she said softly. "I put an Unbreakable Charm on it, and it's still intact. Go find it, and your wish will be fulfilled. After all, that's what parents do, don't they?" she smiled even more widely. "They complete their children's wishes." James smiled too, and said, "Go find it. Just don't think too harshly of me when you see it." Lily rolled her eyes at that.

"Never," said Harry, his voice coming out in a whisper. He dropped the stone, and they both vanished, their smiles still etched upon their faces.

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"Harry?"

Ginny's voice brought him back to his senses. He looked at her, and saw that she'd already retrieved the Stone from the ground. "What happened? Did you see them?"

"Yes," he replied, filled with sudden excitement, "Come on, I've got something to show you!"

They set off running, stopping only until they came to the devastated cottage. Harry raised his wand. " _Accio Lily's Jar of Memories!_ "

Before Ginny could react, a jar flew out of the cottage with a _whoosh_. He caught it, and his excitement rose on seeing the swirling, bluish mass inside. "Come on, let's go!" he yelled, and grasped her arm. "Where?" she asked, unable to understand his excitement, but he pulled her with him as they Disapparated.

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They materialized in front of the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry dragged her inside. He made straight to the fire, and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, and was just about to step into the flames, when he felt himself pulled back by Ginny.

"Harry, stop. Explain to me what we're doing, now."

He'd forgotten how forceful she was. Sighing, he pulled her back to one of the tables, and they both sat down. He briefly explained the interaction he'd had with his parents, the Jar of Memories, and the fact that they were now headed to Hogwarts to Dumbledore's office to get the Pensieve in order to see what his mother had left him.

"Now do you understand? I finally have a chance to get to know them!" he finished, his eyes dancing excitedly. She smiled and stood up without asking any more questions. "Let's go!" They stepped into the emerald green flames one after another, and felt themselves spinning into blackness, until –

"Potter! Miss Weasley! What are you doing here at this time?"

The shocked voice of Minerva McGonagall made him open his eyes. He was in the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts, and he saw the portraits look at him in confusion. He quickly got up and helped Ginny to her feet.

"Sorry to burst in like this, Professor, but we need to use the Pensieve – it is urgent –"

His expression caused Professor McGonagall's question about what the matter was to die in her throat; this was clearly important. "Is everyone all right?" she asked instead; it was almost six months after the battle, but Minerva McGonagall still bore psychological scars of the calamity.

"Yes," said Harry, now calmer; he'd realised that he had probably made her think that something awful had happened. "I have a favour to ask, Professor; can we please borrow the Pensieve?"

"As a matter of fact, you can," she said crisply, "I am now going to the Hallowe'en feast. You can stay here with the Pensieve, view your memories – yes, I know you want to do that, that is the purpose of a Pensieve, isn't it?" She said tartly, and he grinned. "You can then explain to me later as to why you burst in my office without prior notice." He smiled again. "Thank you, Professor," was all he said, though. She nodded before exiting the office.

"Well, this is it," he said as he placed the stone basin on the table. He slowly emptied the contents of the jar into the Pensieve, before looking at her and asking, "Ready?"

"Uhh, I think I'll stay here," she said uncomfortably, "I think it should only be you." She smiled wanly at him. He understood what she was trying to do, and appreciated it; after all, part of him wanted it to be him alone to see his mother's final gift. He nodded to her and said, "See you in a bit!" She blew him a kiss and smiled; he smiled back at her.

He bent down and touched his nose to the surface of the Pensieve. At once, he felt himself falling, and he felt a thrill of excitement… He was going to get to know his parents at last…

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	2. Chapter 1

Thanks for the review, Light Black. You have certainly encouraged me to write further! Cheers!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter One**

 **Is Magic Real?**

"Lily, wake up!"

Six-year-old Lily Evans opened her eyes sleepily. Still groggy, she closed them again, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"Lily, come on, it's Christmas!"

At that, Lily's eyes snapped wide open. She looked around blearily until she saw her elder sister, Petunia, who slowly came into focus.

"Presents, come on, Lily!" she screamed, her eyes shining with excitement. Lily knew that it would be pointless to go back to sleep; she was excited about her own presents as well.

She first opened Petunia's present to her. "Oh, wow!" she shrieked excitedly, "That patterned hairband I was looking at two weeks ago!" She turned to her sister, who wore a somewhat satisfied smile on her face. "You're an angel, Tuney, thanks!" Lily said, hugging her sister. Petunia returned the hug happily before saying softly, "I love the new mechanical pencil, Lily. I've wanted it for months since I broke my last one!" Lily glowed. She'd begged her parents to let her give the fifty-pence pencil to her elder sister, and they had finally given in. The smile on Petunia's face told her that it had been worth it.

"What did mum and dad get you?" asked Petunia. "They got me this, look!" She held up a large book with blank white pages that Lily recognized as a drawing book. Lily smiled; she knew how good Petunia was at drawing and sketching even at the tender age of eight, and she was proud of her elder sister for it. She felt happy with her parents' thoughtfulness; it also meant that they'd got her something she was bound to like. Sure enough, she saw a present shaped like a small book.

"I dunno, looks like a book!" she said excitedly, and tore the wrapping paper without further ado. Sure enough, her parents had given her a book. "Matilda," Lily read the name, before opening it. It was illustrated with pictures and written with simple English. Lily smiled; she loved reading. Even at six years of age, her reading capabilities were remarkably advanced, and she loved to read all of Enid Blyton's short story collections.

"I've heard about that book," said Petunia. "It's about magic…" her voice trailed off as she realized that Lily wasn't listening to her; she was too engrossed with the book, having started to read it then and there. Petunia sighed before gently tugging the book out of Lily's grasp. "Come on, let's brush our teeth and hurry down for breakfast. We have to go to Aunt Christina's for lunch as well!" Lily groaned. She didn't really like going to Aunt Christina's; her seven-year-old son, Matthew, was rather a bully. He liked pulling Lily's hair and chasing her around the house; she always dreaded her visits to Aunt Christina's.

"Come on, it won't be for too long, it's just one afternoon," Petunia said bracingly. She too didn't like Matthew; he was just as mean to her as he was to Lily. She put an arm around her younger sister and said, "If he is mean to you again, just come to me, Lily, and I'll take care of him for you. Now come on, time for breakfast!" Lily brightened and allowed her sister to drag her downstairs. She felt protected with Petunia, and she knew that Petunia would certainly come to her aid if Matthew was too much of a bother. She sighed, thinking she had the best elder sister in the world…

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Later that night, Lily sat up reading _Matilda_. The day hadn't been bad; Matthew had a slight cold, and he had been put to bed immediately after lunch, so he hadn't been able to bother them at all. The more intently she read the book, the more she got into it. Matilda was not a normal girl; she knew she had magical telekinetic powers and she slowly learned to control them. She made the overbearing headmistress pay for her unkindness. It was well past midnight when Lily finished reading the book. She settled back into bed, marvelling at the story; she'd loved it.

Obsessed as she was with reading, Lily knew that magic was fictional. Magic shows were an exhibition of the magician's skill; most of his tricks were merely a clever sleight of hand. She liked them all the same, though. She liked all stories that involved magic, and spent hours reading all the children's books her parents bought her. Enid Blyton was her favourite author.

Lily sighed. _It would be wonderful if magic were real_ , she thought. _Wonderful_ …

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"Pass the salt, Matthew," said Petunia. Matthew scowled at her before giving her the little salt-shaker. Petunia accepted it happily and poured salt over her bacon.

It was dinnertime on Easter Sunday at the Evans' place. Aunt Christine, Uncle Colin, and Matthew had come over for dinner, and Lily had had a miserable time so far, playing with Matthew. The children had played hide-and-seek, and as Lily had looked for the other two, Matthew had thrown a giant cockroach on her from his hiding place. Lily had run away screaming to her parents, only to realize that the cockroach was a fake; it was simply a toy. Red-faced, she'd run to her room with tears in her eyes, and had refused to come out till her mum had made her join them for dinner. Her eyes were still red as she ate in silence, and she wondered vaguely why Matthew was scowling at Petunia. She didn't know that her elder sister had smacked Matthew on the bottom for scaring her.

Dinner went by without incident. The children were silent, and the adults chatted animatedly, completely oblivious to the tension between their children. At long last, Mrs Evans asked, "How about some warm milk, children?" She smiled and pointed toward three steaming mugs. Lily hurried forward happily; she loved milk with chocolate powder added to it. However, Matthew beat her to it. He quickly chose a mug, turned back to the sisters and said, "Beat you!" There was a grin on his face; he looked rather pleased with himself. "You're worse than a four-year old!" Petunia said scathingly, and Lily silently agreed. They took their own mugs and started to drink the milk.

As was her practice, Lily took a large gulp from the mug, only to realise that something was wrong. She gasped and choked as the milk burned her throat; it was extremely spicy. It was as if red chillies had been added to it. Next to her, Petunia choked too, her eyes closed and her body heaving. She heard Matthew laughing, and the hateful sound filled Lily's eyes with tears; however, this time they were tears of rage rather than sadness.

"You put chilli powder –," she spoke fiercely, her voice shaking with suppressed rage, "— in the milk?" He didn't even respond; he was laughing too hard. Next to her, Petunia was quickly gulping down water, tears in her eyes; the chilli powder had burnt her tongue. Lily was filled with a blinding rage, and at that moment she wished for Matthew to suffer like she had.

She didn't know how it happened. As Petunia would comment later, it had served him right for being so mean to them, but that still didn't explain how it happened.

The mug Matthew was holding suddenly turned to a crab before their very eyes. Matthew let out a yell of surprise and pain as the crab quickly grabbed his thumb with its pincers. All the adults watched, shocked, as Matthew struggled to throw the crab off, but the crab's grip was too tight. Matthew screamed in pain again, and the adults were galvanized into action; Aunt Christina held Matthew while Uncle Colin and Mr Evans gently prised the crab's claws off of Matthew's fingers. They quickly released the crab outside, and it scuttled away happily.

Aunt Christina clasped the crying Matthew to her, comforting him. Uncle Colin shook Mr Evans' hand rather stiffly, thanked him and Mrs Evans for a lovely evening, before leaving quickly with his wife and child. All this while, Petunia and Lily were doubled over with laughter. There was no doubt in the parents' mind that their daughters were sure that Matthew had deserved what he'd got.

Mrs Evans dragged the mugs from the girls. She didn't want them to drink more of the spicy chocolate milk. She herself was angry with Matthew; he had ruined her perfectly tasty chocolate milk, but the kid hadn't deserved to have his fingers mangled by a – a _crab_ , of all things. She was still utterly bewildered that the mug had turned into a crab right before her very eyes. She was still unable to believe that it had happened, and was inclined to believe that it had been only a dream, but Matthew's bleeding fingers contested that soothing theory.

"All right, girls, that's enough," she said sternly, as the two sisters continued to laugh, clutching each other, "You're being very unkind. Matthew may be a spoilt brat, but it doesn't justify your laughter towards this – this incident. You shouldn't sink to his level." The two girls quieted down at once. They didn't want to get on their mother's bad side; after all, her mother could be very strict.

Her father, however, looked amused. "Strange goings-on," he said, "Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself!" He laughed again, and his wife gave him a stern look. It was obvious that she disapproved of his reaction; she certainly felt that he could set a better example for his daughters rather than roaring with laughter.

"Well, I guess he won't bother you two for some time now," said Mr Evans, with only a trace of a smile on his face. He clearly didn't like the way how his nephew treated his daughters, but he liked the way the two sisters stood up for each other. His wife frowned at him but didn't say anything. He continued, "How did it happen, though?" At that, everyone looked at each other quietly; they didn't know how to explain the strange incident.

Lily ventured, "It was like, um, _magic_ , Daddy." Mr Evans roared with laughter. "You've been reading too much of those Enid Blyton books, Lily! Pixies and brownies and gnomes and all of that poppycock! Remember, sweetheart, magic is just a sleight of hand. It's _not_ real, is it?" When no one answered, Mr Evans said, "Well, let's forget it. I don't know how it happened but it was hilarious!" That brought smiles to Lily and Petunia's faces. He said further, "All right girls, time for bed. I'll help your mother clean up. Chop chop!" The two girls recognized the dismissal and said, "Good night!" before turning and running up the staircase.

They stopped in front of Lily's room, and Lily turned to her sister and said, "Don't you think he deserved it, Tuney?" Petunia smiled and replied, "Oh yes, definitely. He was so horrible to us. He deserved to be punished," she said, conviction ringing in her words. Lily wasn't sure how to react to that. Besides, she was feeling a certain disquiet. She asked, "Do you think it was magic, Tuney?" Petunia glanced at her and said, "That doesn't make sense, Lily. Come on, was it the Easter Bunny who saw how unkind he was and decided to give him some rough treatment?" she laughed at her own joke. Lily laughed with her, though her laughter was rather fake. Inwardly, she was excited. Was magic real after all? However, she said nothing more. Giving her sister a small wave, she entered her room, closed the door, and settled herself on the bed.

She couldn't help but feel that she had something to do with the incident that night. She knew that she was feeling incredible rage, an urge to hurt the laughing boy in front of her, and at that moment, his mug had turned into a crab. Had she made that happen? Had she been the reason that Matthew had a bleeding hand? She had felt a kind of force radiate through her as she'd wished for payback, and her wish had been granted in form of the crab.

She reached out to her bedside table and took the copy of _Matilda_ in her hand. Matilda was probably a witch, and she had telekinetic abilities which she was finally able to channelize through her mind. But that would mean…

Lily shook her head. _No, that can't be it. I am not a witch. I don't possess the magic or telekinetic abilities. Or do I?_ She decided to check it out herself. Placing the book back on her nightstand, she stared at it and willed it to come to her, her face screwed up in concentration.

Fifteen futile minutes later, Lily gave up. The book hadn't moved an inch, staying on her table rather stubbornly. Lily settled back into bed. _Magic isn't real_ , she thought as she drifted off to sleep. _Or is it?_

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	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews, Light Black and abhishekbjoshi. You guys rock! Cheers!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Two**

" **You're a witch!"**

Lily and Petunia sat on the swings, happily swinging to and fro. It was a beautiful afternoon in late June, and the summer holidays had just begun. Lily was particularly excited to be back to the playground after nearly nine months; the last time she had been on the playground swing, she had decided to be a bit of a daredevil; she had swung on it until the swing was at nearly right angles to its starting position, before jumping off it, much to the shock and disbelief of her parents who had come to the playground as well to enjoy what was possibly the last clear day of the year. Lily had landed lightly – too lightly, in fact, on the asphalt, but the overall incident had terrified and angered her parents. It had resulted in Lily being banned from the playground, and it was only after she had promised to not pull off stunts like those that she'd been allowed to go back to the playground that Sunday evening.

 _I'm not like Matilda_ , she thought to herself as she swung at a respectable distance from the ground. _I don't just have telekinetic powers. I have more…_ Ever since she had accidentally turned her cousin Matthew's mug to a crab more than three years ago, Lily had been searching for an explanation. She had tried to practise levitating things telekinetically, and after a few weeks of futile practice, she had willed the pen to come to her from the table out of sheer frustration and anger, and it had worked. She'd been surprised and pleased, but when she tried again, it didn't happen, much to her disappointment.

Then there was the time she'd been riding her bike too fast on the road. She had seen a man walk directly into her path, and she hadn't been able to stop herself in time. She had swerved aside, and managed to not hit the man, but at the cost of losing control of the bike, which had swivelled dangerously before falling. Lily could recall how scared she had been then, falling along with the bike… But just when she thought that she was about to hit her head, she hadn't – instead, the next thing she remembered was herself standing serenely next to the fallen bike, with not even a single scratch on her. Lily hadn't been able to explain to the concerned passers-by as to why she hadn't fallen along with the bike.

By and by, the clever little girl had been able to deduce that the weird incidents took place only when she was scared or angry. Happy with her discovery, Lily had tested it consciously the next time she had been angry; one of the boys in her school had thrown chewing gum in her hair, and the next minute, the gum flew from her hair and smacked him on his face. That had confirmed her theory, and she had eagerly tried to see if she could control her 'powers' consciously. The little girl had practised hard, and she'd reaped the benefits of her hard work just a month ago, when she had finally been able to levitate small objects in her room at will. She had been thrilled to discover that she had powers that others didn't seem to have, although she still wasn't sure why she had them.

That day was the day she had decided to show her sister her powers. The ten-year-old had thought that it would be best if Petunia was the first person to see what she could do, rather than their parents. And so, Lily swung higher and higher, wanting to feel the thrill of her powers yet again. She swung higher than Petunia, who wore an expression of shock and fear on her face as she looked at her younger sister, afraid that she would fall at any moment.

"Lily, don't do it!" she heard Petunia scream, but she was too engrossed with the swing; it swung to the highest point of its arc, and with a great shout of laughter, Lily let go at that precise moment. She almost flew in the air at quite a bit of a height before landing gracefully on the asphalt below. Petunia had screamed as Lily had descended earthwards; she'd felt sure that Lily would land heavily on the asphalt and quite possibly break an arm or a leg.

"Mummy told you not to!" said Petunia as she stopped her swing with her feet, before getting off and looking at Lily sternly, with her arms on her hips. "Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily," she repeated, as though sure that her words hadn't registered with her younger sister, who continued to smile.

"But I'm fine," said Lily, who was still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind the swings. Petunia advanced, obviously torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, doing it again and again in a cycle.

"Stop it!" screamed Petunia. "It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the flower and threw it back to the ground. "It's not right," said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it. "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said a voice from behind them. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. She looked at the speaker, a boy who looked about her age. He was skinny, his black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smock-like shirt. Lily saw a dull flush of colour that came to his sallow cheeks as he looked at her rather shyly; it looked as if he wasn't used to speaking to girls.

"What's obvious?" asked Lily, wanting to put the boy at ease; he looked nervously excited but vulnerable. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, the boy lowered his voice and said, "I know what you are."

"What do you mean?" asked Lily, as she felt an inexplicable excitement. Had this boy seen her stunt with the swing? Was he going to state a conclusion based on that, which would explain the unusual incidents that took place whenever she was scared or angry?

"You're… You're a witch," whispered the boy.

Quick as the wind, her excitement turned to indignation as she pictured an old woman with a black cat on her shoulder, a misshapen pointed hat on her head and warts on her face, stirring something in a boiling cauldron with an open book next to her. With a jolt, she realised that she was picturing the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel, which she'd read just a few days ago.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" she said, rather angrily; the image of the witch was fresh in her mind. She turned and marched off toward her sister, her nose in the air.

"No!" said Snape. He was highly coloured now, and he ran after the girls. _He looks like a bat_ , thought Lily, an expression of disapproval on her face; she looked at her sister, only to see her own disapproval mirrored on Petunia's face too, as they both held on to one of the swing poles. The boy caught up with them and said to her, "You are. You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."

Petunia laughed rather unkindly. "Wizard!" she shouted derisively; her courage had returned now that she had recovered from the shock of the boy's unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily, her tone distasteful. She looked at him again with anger in her eyes before saying rudely, "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying," said the boy, and he looked uncomfortable. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he said, his voice laced with spite, "You're a Muggle."

Lily didn't understand what the boy had just called her sister, but the tone was clear; she thought it was probably a profanity. Petunia looked at the boy angrily, her face red. "Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left. He stood watching them as they marched through the playground gate (Lily thought he looked rather wistful and she felt a slight twinge of pity towards him; he really did look underfed and unloved and his assorted clothes were a bit of an eyesore), and only when they turned the corner did he disappear from view.

"What did he mean, I'm a witch?" said Lily at once. "I thought witches were evil, why did he call me that? I didn't do anything bad to anyone," she said, a little indignant. "Ignore him, Lily," said Petunia firmly, putting her hand over Lily's shoulder, "He's just an unpleasant boy. I heard from the neighbourhood children that his parents are –," she made a face, "Just as unpleasant. Jessica was telling me that they don't mix with anyone, they just keep scowling at people who greet them. Witch, indeed, what rubbish!" she burst out suddenly. It was evident that the boy calling Lily a witch had hurt her more than when he'd called her a Muggle, whatever that was. Lily looked at her sister gratefully, thankful towards her sister's indignation on her behalf. The two walked home in silence after that, but Lily was thinking hard. _Aren't witches related to magic? Evil magic, yes, but magic, certainly?_

Later that night, Lily lay on her bed, going over the events of the afternoon. She couldn't help but feel that what the Snape boy had said explained all the unusual incidents in the past. For one thing, she was quite sure that no normal person would be able to jump so high off the swing and land as she had. _Normal people don't make milk mugs turn to crabs, or make gum shoot out of one's hair, or remain standing after their bike has swivelled dangerously out of control_ , she thought _… Could it be true? Am I a witch? But that must mean that all the unusual incidents were in fact, exactly that… They were unusual incidents because they involved magic… Weren't they?_

Lily frowned to herself. In spite of what her sister had said about the Snape boy and his parents being nothing but trouble, she felt curious. The boy made sense when he talked about magic, and her being a witch and all that. Perhaps he'd meant that she was a witch in the sense that she was a human of the feminine gender with magical powers. She smiled to herself at the choice of her words, as she tried to make it seem like he hadn't meant to insult her. It made sense. She would have to speak to the Snape boy again; she just _had_ to find out what he'd meant.

Lily smiled as she rolled over on her side. Maybe magic was real after all.

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The next morning, after breakfast, Lily slipped out of her house alone, under the pretext of meeting a friend. It was another beautiful day, but Petunia had opted to remain indoors, wanting to draw the scenery outside the window as she saw it. Alone for once, Lily quickly went to the playground, in the hopes of finding the Snape boy. She hurried over to the swings, and her heart gave a jolt as she saw a boy swinging on one of the swings. There was no mistaking those mismatched clothes; it was surely the Snape boy.

The boy didn't see or hear her walk towards him as he brought the swing to a halt slowly. She sneaked up behind him and said softly, "Waiting for me?"

The boy jumped off the swing, startled; but he remained on his feet, turning to look at her, a little scared. When he saw who it was, however, his faced seemed to relax momentarily before a slight blush spread across his face. He said nothing, but kept looking at her shyly.

"I'm Lily," she said, offering her hand for him to shake. He hesitated before taking it. "My name is Severus Snape," he said, his voice soft. He seemed to think for a couple of seconds before venturing to say, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you yesterday."

Lily studied him. There seemed more to him than what met the eye, certainly. His mismatched clothes notwithstanding, he certainly seemed to know a lot more about magic than her, and she was determined to know if her theory was correct.

"That's all right," she said, "But I want to know why you said I was a witch. Define witch," she said, a little assertively.

"A witch is a girl or a woman who has magical powers," said Severus softly. "That is want I meant. You have magical powers, just like my mum. She's a witch too, and I'm a wizard. But your sister doesn't, though. She's what is called a Muggle, which means people without magical powers."

Lily took in all of this silently. So that was what he'd meant by witch and Muggle. Lily felt her heart relax, and her excitement increased. It was true! She was a witch and she had magical powers! She grinned at Severus, and he grinned back at her rather nervously. She sat on the swing, and after hesitating for a few moments, he followed suit.

"So, tell me," she said curiously, "Are there more magical people like us –," she noticed a slight smile tug at the corners of his mouth as she said 'us', "– who have such powers?" He smiled and said, "Yeah. The world is full of wizards and witches. There's even a Ministry of Magic which makes governs us, maintains discipline and makes laws that must be followed by all magical folk."

Lily looked at him in shock. If there were so many magical people all over the world, how come she had never read any news about them? How come magic was such a secret?

Severus seemed to figure out what she was thinking. He said, "It's a secret because if all Muggles knew about magic, everyone would want magical solutions to all of their problems. I think we're best left alone." She nodded. It made sense, certainly. "Can you show me something magical, too? Something to demonstrate your powers?" she said eagerly. She believed him; she had been searching for an explanation for a long time now, and this made a lot of sense.

He smiled again before looking up. At once, a flower from the tree above fell, and soared lightly in front of her. She stretched out her hand, and it landed in her palm. She watched, fascinated, as he repeated her trick of the day before, making the flower open and close its petals as it lay in her arm. She looked at him, smiling; she was convinced for sure now.

"Tell me more about the magical world," she said, excited. He smiled before saying, "Well, there's a school called Hogwarts. It's somewhere in Scotland, and that is where all witches and wizards go in order to receive magical education. All new students get a letter on their eleventh birthday, informing them of their place at Hogwarts, and asking them if they are going to join the school."

She looked at him silently, taking everything in. It was a tad overwhelming for her to find out that there was a school for magic, and that, in all probability, she would be attending it. He continued speaking.

"They teach a variety of lessons at Hogwarts. There's Transfiguration, which means turning something into something else; Potions, which is concoction of mixtures for magical purposes; Charms, which is addition of certain properties to existing objects; Herbology, which is the study of magical plants; Defence Against the Dark Arts, which deals with offensive and defensive magic; Astronomy, in which one studies the movements of stars and planets; and History of Magic, which provides a coherent account of significant magical events in the past. There are more subjects that you can take from your third year onwards, so you needn't worry about that now," he added, looking at her worried expression. "Don't worry, everyone begins at an even footing at Hogwarts," he continued, correctly guessing the reason for her apprehension. Her face relaxed.

She stood up. "Thank you, Severus, that was helpful," she said, and he smiled at her again, his dark eyes warm. She continued, "I have to go now, but shall we meet again tomorrow? Here, if you like."

He smiled his widest smile; it reached his eyes. "Sure," he said, "Bye!"

She waved at him and set off, processing the information. It was certainly overwhelming, but Lily was filled with an insatiable thirst to gain knowledge, and she was confident that if she worked hard enough, she would definitely be able to keep up with the rest of the students who came from magical families. She was filled with a sudden exhilaration. She was a witch!

She almost ran the rest of her way home. She couldn't wait to tell Tuney what had transpired between her and Severus, and everything he had told her. It would be fun to share this wonderful secret with someone!

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It was a sunny afternoon in late August as Lily hurried forward, walking swiftly to the playground to meet Severus. He was going to show her a hiking trail in the woods behind his house, and tell her more about the magical world. Lily's school began the next week, and she wanted to find out as much as she could before the busy school routine began.

She was preoccupied. She had met Severus a few more times at the park, and he'd told her more and more stuff that had caught her interest. She was sad about her sister's reaction, though; Lily had hoped that Petunia would be more excited, but her sister kept trying to convince her that Severus was a liar. Once or twice, Lily had detected a hint of envy mixed with distaste as Petunia spoke about Severus, and she was surprised and angry that Tuney would keep reiterating her point without caring about her feelings.

She looked up to see Severus standing by the swings, smiling in welcome. She smiled back at him, and he said shyly, "Come on. It's this way." They walked with a leisurely pace, talking about this and that, and Lily studied the boy's face as he spoke. She had been shocked to learn that he had no friends, that she was his first friend, and that his parents didn't get along. He had told her that his father was a Muggle, and that he'd been angry with his mum ever since she'd told him that she was a witch. He had been neglected for the better part of the last three years. Lily had felt sympathy for him; she couldn't imagine her parents not getting along or not looking forward to returning to the warm and comfortable place she called home.

Severus led the way along a trail into a thicket of trees next to a sunlit river. The sat in the shade cast by the tall trees, cross-legged and facing each other. Lily immediately began to ask him questions about the Ministry of Magic, and he looked only too happy to answer. "What happens if we do magic outside of school?"

"Well, it breaches the Statue of Secrecy," said Severus, "Which is why it is against the law to do magic outside of school when you're under seventeen years of age, and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."

"But I have done magic outside school!" she exclaimed, worried.

"We're all right," he said, waving his hand a little impatiently, "We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "And they start training you, then you've got to go careful."

There was a little silence. Lily picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, imagining sparks coming from it; she wished the day would come soon when she finally got her own wand. However, she had an important question for Severus, so she dropped the twig, leaned in toward the boy, and said, "It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?" It was obvious that she was still inclined to believe her elder sister even though Severus had shown her his powers as well.

"It's real for us," said Severus, much to her relief. "Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."

"Really?" whispered Lily.

"Definitely," said Snape, and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he looked confident with his destiny.

"And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered. That had sounded rather far-fetched to her, owls delivering letters, when he'd told her about it.

"Normally," he said. "But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" She wanted to know the answer to this question very much. She had sat up a few nights, worrying about acceptance into Hogwarts in spite of lacking magical relatives.

He hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over her face and her hair.

"No," he said, and she could see that he meant it. "It doesn't make any difference."

"Good," she said, her features relaxing visibly.

"You've got loads of magic," said Severus. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"

But his last sentence hadn't registered with her; the relief that being Muggle-born made no difference was warm and overwhelming. She stretched out on the leafy ground and looked up at the canopy of leaves overhead, unaware that he was watching her rather greedily.

"How are things at your house?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

A little crease appeared between his eyes.

"Fine," he said.

"They're not arguing anymore?"

"Oh yes, they're arguing," said Severus, visibly annoyed. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone. It's a question of one more year, I turn eleven in January."

"Really?" asked Lily. "Me too!" He smiled at her silently. She pressed him about his problems at home again.

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"

"He doesn't like anything, much," he said, with a touch of finality. She decided to drop the subject for time being.

"Severus?"

He gave a little smile as she said his name. She saw his features relax, and she relaxed too. Wanting to stop him from thinking about his parents again, she asked a question she already knew the answer to.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about the Dementors again," said Lily.

"What do you want to know about them for?"

"If I use magic outside school –"

But he cut across what she was saying

"They wouldn't give you to the Dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You are not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too…" she saw him blush again as he shredded more leaves.

A small rustling noise behind them made them turn suddenly; Lily looked up just in time to see Petunia, who had evidently been hiding behind a tree, lose her footing.

"Tuney!" she said, surprised; it was obvious that unbeknowest to her, Petunia must have followed her out of the house. Severus, however, jumped to his feet.

"Who's spying now?" he shouted, and his voice had none of the warmth it had held when he had been talking to her, "What do _you_ want?"

Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. But she still managed to give him a look of spite before saying, "What is that you're wearing, anyway?" She pointed to his chest before adding disdainfully, "Your mum's blouse?"

There was a crack. Lily screamed as a branch over Petunia's head fell earthwards and caught Petunia on the shoulder. Petunia staggered backward and burst into tears.

"Tuney!" Lily shouted, but her sister had turned and was running away, crying. Lily knew that she was probably going to get into trouble at home, so she rounded on Severus instead. "Did you make that happen?" she asked him, her eyes narrowed.

"No," he said defiantly, but his eyes looked scared, and she knew that he was lying.

"You did!" she accused, backing away from him. "You did! You hurt her!"

"No – no, I didn't!"

It was obvious to her that he was lying; didn't magic just _explode_ out of you when you were angry or scared? She gave him one last angry look, before running from the little thicket, off after her sister. She was sure that Petunia was now going to tell her parents, and that she was going to have a lot more explaining to do. _Why, Severus_ , she thought. _Why did you have to lose control? You just made things so difficult for me and Tuney_ …

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 **Author's note:**

Ok, I know that in the prologue I stated that these were all memories, but it is so much more fascinating to write from Lily's point of view as if she is the protagonist, and that this is her story, rather than someone watching it as a memory. So, until this story ends, we won't be seeing any more of Harry (unless you count him being born _eventually_ ). Cheers!


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews, Light Black, abhishekbjoshi and NatNicole. You guys rock! Cheers! Here is chapter three. Please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Three**

 **Preparations**

Lily woke up, feeling excited; it was her eleventh birthday at last. Since Severus had told her that an owl from Hogwarts would arrive on her eleventh birthday, she was looking forward to it. She looked outside her window to see that it was snowing and sighed happily. Lily loved the snow; she enjoyed making snowmen, although Petunia was the more artistically talented of the two sisters. Lily frowned again as she thought of her elder sister and wondered how she would react once Lily received her letter later that day.

Ever since that day last year when Severus had hurt Petunia with the falling branch, it was as if something had snapped between the two sisters. Lily had been hurt and annoyed after Petunia had complained to her parents about 'that hateful Snape boy' who had 'thrown' a branch at her, conveniently leaving out the part where she'd insulted him. She had left out the part about Lily and Severus having magical powers, but her parents had been inclined to go to Severus's house to complain about him angrily, and it was only after Lily had defended her friend for acting out because of Petunia insulting him that they had agreed to drop the matter, albeit not before forbidding Lily to associate with 'that naughty boy'. Lily hadn't been pleased, but Petunia had regarded Lily siding with Severus as nothing less than a personal betrayal, and had refused to be civil to Lily since.

At first, Lily had been upset with her sister, but with her school reopening in a few days, she had had other things on her mind to keep her preoccupied. However, things hadn't improved between the two sisters; Petunia hadn't protected Lily from bullies in her class, and although Lily could take care of herself owing to her magical powers (the incident in question involved the bullying boy to somehow sneeze all day after he'd tried to take her new pencil-box), she missed her sister coming to her defence. Lily had thought things would be better over the Christmas holidays; she had gone great lengths to spend her pocket money extravagantly on a rather fancy set of brushes and paints for Petunia, but had received a mere fifty-pence coin in return. She had successfully concealed the disappointment she'd felt; Petunia always put very careful thought into her presents, but this time it looked like she couldn't care less about Lily. Her eyes filled with tears every time she remembered that sinking feeling, and Lily hoped that things would be better on her birthday.

Lily ran downstairs as soon as she'd bathed and changed into a new set of clothes. She was excited; she couldn't help it. As soon as she entered the hall, her father jumped to his feet and said, "Happy birthday, Princess!" He hugged her tightly before saying, "Here's your present!" He handed her a rather large and heavy package, and she staggered with the sheer weight of it; she set it down quickly and squealed, "Wow, Daddy, are these eleven presents or one?" Her father simply smiled before saying, "Open it!"

Excited, Lily quickly tore the wrapping paper to discover a box; she opened it and looked at the contents with great surprise. Lying in the box was Enid Blyton's entire Five Find-Outers book series. Lily counted the fifteen books with growing excitement before looking at her father, speechless. "Wow, thanks, Daddy!" she whispered before hugging her father tightly. He guffawed with amusement. "It's from your mum and Petunia as well, not just me," he said. Lily promptly hugged her mother, who was making breakfast. Mrs Evans patted her daughter's head affectionately and said, "Happy birthday, Princess. Come on, time for breakfast!"

Lily extricated herself from her mother, feeling overwhelmed. She headed to the dining table to find Petunia sitting there all by herself. She looked warily at her sister; they were still not on friendly terms with each other. Petunia looked at her and said stiffly, "Happy birthday, Lily." Lily smiled and said, "Thanks, Tuney," before sitting next to her awkwardly. She was spared from the necessity of making conversation with her sister as her mother arrived with egg and tomato sandwiches, and her father joined them at the table.

An hour later, as Lily was helping her mother clean up after breakfast, the doorbell rang. "I'll open it," she heard Petunia call out, and she continued to wipe the table. She heard the door open and a woman's voice speaking to Petunia, who seemed to answer politely to the visitor. Curious, Lily abandoned the napkin she was using and made to the hall, but she had barely taken two steps before Petunia came into the dining room and said, "Mum, Dad… There is someone the who wants to speak to you. And you too," she added, a frown on her face as she looked at Lily. Her father looked up from his newspaper and asked, "Who is it?" He looked confused.

"Someone called Professor McGonagall," answered Petunia, her face mirroring her father's confusion. "She didn't say why she was here, just that she needed to speak to you three. Oh, and she asked for _her_ specifically," she said, nodding her head at Lily. Mr Evans stood up. "Come on, then, all of you," he said, gesturing with his hand. The four of them made their way to the hall where their visitor was seated. The woman rose as they came in, and Lily looked at her properly for the first time.

She was tall and stately-looking, with dark hair and green eyes (although they were a different shade from her own, Lily noted), and gave off an aura of intimidation. She looked in her middle thirties, and her long hair was tied tightly in a bun at the back of her head. Lily's first thought was that this woman was not someone whose wrong side you should get on to.

"Mr Evans," she said, shaking hands with her father, "Mrs Evans," she continued, shaking hands with her mother as well. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. And this is Miss Lily Evans, I presume?" she said, looking at Lily and smiling. Lily smiled back. "Yes, _Professor_ McGonagall," she said; she had heard Petunia say it before, and she had put two and two together rather easily. They all sat down, her parents looking at the stranger politely, as if indicating to her to state the purpose of her visit.

Lily was sure that Professor McGonagall was a teacher at Hogwarts, and that she had come to her house to explain to her parents about her magical powers. It was exactly as Severus had told her, and she remembered with a pang of guilt that she hadn't seen him since the incident with the branch, although they wrote letters to each other that Nuntius, Severus's old and frail owl, delivered.

Professor McGonagall looked surprised before saying, "Mr and Mrs Evans, I am a teacher from a school for Hogwarts. I have come here to inform you that we are offering your daughter Lily admission to our school." She paused for a moment, as though choosing her words carefully. "It is a school for people with special abilities," she continued, as Mr and Mrs Evans still continued to look politely interested, "You see, it is a school for magic, for children with magical powers."

Lily watched as her parents' expressions changed from polite puzzlement to bewilderment to shock. Her father's mouth fell open and her mother quickly asked, "Magic?" Professor McGonagall nodded, smiling slightly. Lily noticed how her face became kinder and her frown lines relaxed as she smiled. "But there must be a mistake. Lily's not got magical powers, Lily's not… Is she?" He surveyed Lily, shock and surprise still in his eyes. "Do you have magical powers?" he asked her.

"Of course not," her mother scoffed, "None of us do, how could she? Magic, really?" she looked at their visitor nervously, and Professor McGonagall kept smiling at her. "I think Miss Evans can answer that better than anyone," she said, turning to Lily and saying kindly, "Miss Evans, if you could demonstrate… I believe that you have a good grasp of your powers by now, seeing as you don't look surprised but rather gleeful after having been informed of your powers." Lily's smile grew wider. Obviously, Professor McGonagall was very clever.

"Sure," she said, sliding off the sofa gracefully before hurrying to the kitchen before returning with a cup. She held the cup in front of her and concentrated with all her might, her eyes narrowed. She let go of the cup and it stayed in mid-air. She looked at Professor McGonagall and smiled, with the cup still suspended in mid-air. Professor McGonagall smiled back. Lily turned to look at her parents, who were looking at the cup with their mouths open, and her sister, who looked a bit sulky and resentful. Lily quickly looked back at Professor McGonagall.

"Well done, Miss Evans," said the dark-haired woman, "You seem to have some control over your powers already. That is impressive." Lily smiled even more widely. A sharp 'Oooohhhh' made her turn back to her father, who looked as if he was having some sort of epiphany. "That cup – Matthew – that crab – that was you?" he spluttered, unbelievingly looking at his younger daughter. "Yeah. Not just a sleight of hand anymore, is it, Daddy?" she said playfully, her green eyes dancing. "Of course, I had no control over it. Initially, it only happened when I was scared or angry, but once I learnt the cause, I gained some control over my powers." She smiled again before plucking the cup out of mid-air. Her mother looked dumbfounded, but she was heartened to see a slow smile spreading across her father's face.

"Wow!" he said, delighted, "A magician in the family! Well done, Princess, I'm so proud of you!" he exclaimed. She felt heartened to see her father not reacting like Petunia. Her mother smiled at her, rather nervously, Lily thought – but she too gave her a congratulatory grin. "So you set the crab on Matthew?" she asked with a touch of amusement, "Well, I guess it's indubitable that he had it coming to him." Lily's delight grew; her parents were so accepting! She looked at Petunia, whose expression was unchanged. She looked away quickly to Professor McGonagall, who continued to smile at her.

"Well then," said the Professor, "Do you accept your position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? There are no school fees, obviously; the only things you will have to buy are books, a wand, robes – well, I have a list of them here," she said, a little flustered; she pulled out an official-looking letter from her bag and handed it to Lily. "Keep that safe, Miss Evans, it is the official letter to someone who has been accepted into Hogwarts. It is generally delivered by owl, but under circumstances such as these, it is best if someone hands it to you personally."

Lily looked at the seal on the letter; it looked like the seal itself was an emblem of Hogwarts. There were four animals, a lion, a badger, an eagle and a serpent, all surrounding the letter 'H'. On the envelope was written, in green ink:

 _Miss L. Evans_

 _Number 11, Diamond Gardens_

 _Cokeworth_

 _Midlands_

Lily opened the envelope to find a letter, a list of things she would need, and what looked like a train ticket. She put them away; she could look at them later. She turned back to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, where would I get all of this stuff? The wand, the robes?" she asked politely. Professor McGonagall replied crisply, "Well, I can help you with that, Miss Evans. You will get all of this at a place called Diagon Alley, in London. The entrance to that is from a pub called the Leaky Cauldron, which is situated on Charing Cross Road…" her voice trailed off as she looked at the blank faces before her; she smiled and said, "Well, don't worry about that now, just send me a letter and leave for London when you want to buy your school things and I shall arrive to help you. Meet me on Charing Cross Road then," she finished.

"All right, Professor," Lily said happily, "Thank you very much!" Professor McGonagall nodded back at her and said, "Well, I'd best be leaving now. Do let me know when you need my help. Letters addressed to me, with Hogwarts as the address, will find me. Just post it in, you know, one of your – um – _post-bins_ , is it?" She asked.

"Post-boxes, Professor," said Lily, working hard to fight a fit of giggles. "But what will happen if someone else sees 'Hogwarts' written on it? It will be a breach of the Statue of Secrecy, wouldn't it? And how will it find your way towards you?" she asked, confused. Professor McGonagall smiled once again. "Magic, Miss Evans, magic," she said, her eyes holding an uncharacteristic twinkle that was gone the next second. She nodded once to the entire family, who were still staring at her as if she was an illusion of some kind, before making her way out of the house.

The four people stood transfixed. The last half hour had changed everything. Finally, Mr Evans broke the silence. "Well, guess we're changing schools, Princess," he finally said, looking over to Lily, who said, a little apprehensively, "You don't mind me going to Hogwarts and learn magic, do you, Daddy?" Mr Evans laughed. "Well, Princess, seeing that they have no school fees, it would certainly cost less," he said, his eyes twinkling. Lily laughed along with him before looking at her mother, who quickly strode over to her and engulfed her into a hug. "Whatever makes you happy, Princess," she whispered, "It may not be so bad to have a, you know, _witch_ in the family!" Lily grinned from ear to ear at her mother's words before extricating herself from the hug and looking over at Petunia.

Petunia turned and exited the hall, without so much as a word to Lily. Lily had hoped that once her secret was out in the open, Petunia would talk to her properly again, but she knew that it was a lost cause. She had seen the look of anger on her sister's face, but Lily hadn't been fooled; there was envy and resentment mixed with the anger as well. _Oh, Tuney…_ Lily thought sadly. _I didn't bring this upon myself… In fact, I wish we were both witches…_

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It was a sunny summer morning in London as three people made their way up along Charing Cross Road. The parents were talking to each other excitedly, holding a large bag each; the daughter trailed along behind them, outwardly excited but inwardly preoccupied. She'd been looking forward to this visit to Diagon Alley, but her sister's absence was still bothering her. Petunia had refused to accompany them point-blank, making up an excuse that she wanted to spend the day painting, but Lily hadn't believed her at all. She knew that Petunia was jealous of her abilities as a witch, and that shopping for Lily's Hogwarts stuff would be unbearable for her.

However, the plus side of Professor McGonagall's visit had been that Lily could tell her parents that Severus was a wizard as well, and that he'd told her a great deal of stuff about the magical world. She had told her parents that he was a bit shy, and that his parents fought each other all the time, and that he lived in relative poverty. Her parents had softened at that, and allowed her to call him home for a visit. Severus had taken to Mr and Mrs Evans rather quickly; he had looked a lot more confident and a lot less shy as he'd spoken to them. Lily suspected that it was probably because he'd yearned for happy, loving parents. Her parents had been quite take with him too, and had asked him to look out for Lily once they went to Hogwarts (Lily had actually snorted when she'd heard her parents say that); he'd readily agreed.

"Good Morning." A female voice brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing before them, smiling at them. She watched as her parents nervously shook hands with the professor before smiling back at her. "This is the Leaky Cauldron; it is a pub invisible to Muggles – non-magical folk – but it becomes visible to them once told of its existence by a wizard or a witch." She led them into an old-fashioned, dimly lit tavern. Lily saw that a number of people were seated in the parlour, and a wizened old landlord sitting wiping glasses behind the bar. Professor McGonagall nodded once to him before leading the Evans family to the backyard of the pub. She stopped in front of the dustbin, counted out the third brick upwards from it and the second brick across from the previous brick. She whipped out her wand and silently tapped the brick.

Lily stared, her mouth agape, as the wall began to transform. Where the brick had previously been, there was now a hole; it slowly grew bigger and bigger until it became an archway. The archway grew wide enough for at least three people to go through.

"Welcome," smiled Professor McGonagall, "To Diagon Alley."

Lily and her parents followed the Professor on to the wide, cobbled street. Lily hardly looked where she was going; she simply stared at all the different shops on either side of her. There were shops selling books, robes and what looked like (Lily stared in surprise) owls to her right; she turned to her left to see shops selling broomsticks, weird condiments like newt's eyes and rat spleens ( _potions ingredients_ , she thought), and there was even an ice cream parlour next to the book shop. She quickly turned her attention to what her father was saying.

"Professor, do you use the same money as us?" he was asking Professor McGonagall. "I'm afraid not," she said crisply, "But you can exchange your money for our money at the bank over there." She gestured forward to a tall marble building straight ahead of them. It was a snow-white, imposing, multi-storied structure that towered over its neighbouring buildings. "That's Gringotts bank," said Professor McGonagall. "It's run by goblins, who are guardians of our treasures. Try not to stare as we go in," she said. The Evans family nodded once, their expressions puzzled, but they silently followed Professor McGonagall into the bank. Lily stopped at the door; there was a sign at the entrance; what looked like a poem was hanging on the door. She read:

 _Enter stranger but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there._

"Who would want to rob this bank?" she wondered aloud before following her parents inside. She entered a brilliantly lit marble hallway, and looked around to see multiple goblins sitting behind a long counter that stretched the length of the hallway. She followed Professor McGonagall and her parents to a goblin who looked free.

"Good Morning," greeted Professor McGonagall, "I have a Muggle family with me, who would like to exchange their money for ours." She indicated the Evans family, and the goblin surveyed them carefully. Lily felt uncomfortable as she stared back at the goblin, taking in his large, dome-shaped head, his long, pointy ears, and his black eyes devoid of a pupil. The goblin looked old; the hair above his ears was greying.

"First time at Hogwarts, eh?" he smiled at Lily, who smiled back. "Yes, uh, sir," she stuttered, still taking in the goblin's appearance. Professor McGonagall said, "I'd like a hundred Galleons for them, please," she said. Lily wondered what on earth Galleons were before remembering what Severus had told her: Galleons were gold coins of the highest denomination in Wizarding currency. The Sickles and Knuts were next; she frowned as she tried to remember the conversion. With a smile, she remembered; it was twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon.

The goblin consulted the paper in front of him. "Based on today's exchange rate, that is five hundred pounds, madam," he said. Mr Evans looked at Mrs Evans, relief clearly etched upon his face. "Whew, that isn't so bad, it's less than half our expenditure on school fees and equipment!" he said to his wife before pulling out ten 50-pound notes from his wallet. The goblin took them, examined them carefully, and handed them a bag of coins. "Here you go," he said simply. "Next!"

Lily and her family stepped away from the counter. Professor McGonagall said, "Well, it is up to you what you want to do first; you can buy robes, or books, or potions ingredients, or a wand…" Lily decided to keep the wand for last, and decided to go for robe fitting into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions shop. Her parents followed, talking enthusiastically. Professor McGonagall lingered outside, waiting for them.

About three hours later, Lily had bought everything on the list except for the wand. Her parents had bought her an owl as well; it was a beautiful female eagle owl, who was sleeping in her cage. She was bursting after a sumptuous lunch (her father had insisted on buying lunch for Professor McGonagall as well, and the teacher had consented), but she still ran towards the wand shop with her parents in tow; her mother carried the owl and her robes, while her father carried her books, cauldron, potions supplies and other things. Professor McGonagall had gone to the Leaky Cauldron to talk to someone; she'd told them to join her once they were done. Lily had spent lunch asking a lot of questions to Professor McGonagall, and the green-eyed teacher had only been too happy to answer, smiling at the young girl's interest and curiosity.

Lily paused outside the wand shop and read the name: _Ollivander's – Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C_. She paused, took a deep breath and pushed the door open. She walked inside the dusty shop to see innumerable boxes placed upon rows and rows of shelves. The owner was nowhere in sight, though. Lily looked around in wonder. She'd really been looking forward to buying a magic wand. Her parents followed her inside before looking around nervously.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice and Lily looked ahead quickly; she saw a tall man with grey hair and dark eyes standing behind the counter. His skin was pale; it lookedlike he spent most of his time indoors. "Um, are you Mr Ollivander?" Lily asked him uncertainly. He smiled and said, "Yes. First time at Hogwarts, eh, Miss –?" he looked at her questioningly. "Evans," she supplied, "Lily Evans. These are my parents," she indicated the two people standing behind her silently, laden with merchandise.

"Ah, yes," said Mr Ollivander, "So, you would like to buy a wand? Well, let's see…" He reached back to one of the shelves behind him and pulled out a box. He opened it to reveal a brown coloured wand, _the size of my foot-ruler_ , she thought. He handed it to her and said, "Eleven-and-a-half inches, blackthorn, dragon heartstring. Wave it around." Lily did as she was told, but she'd barely raised the wand when he snatched it out of her hands, saying, "No, no… Try this one, nine inches, hawthorn, unicorn hair," and handed another wand to her. She raised it, but he snatched it from her again, shaking his head. She watched as he removed a number of boxes from the shelves.

'Eight-and-a-half inches, cherry wood, unicorn hair…' then 'nine-and-a-quarter inches, vine wood, phoenix feather…' then 'eleven inches, cypress and dragon heartstring…' the list went on. Lily felt that Mr Ollivander should at least give her a chance to wave each wand, and she felt a stab of annoyance, but she pushed it down; after all, he was the wandmaker, he knew best. She estimated that she'd tried at least fifteen wands. She concentrated on the next wand he was handing to her.

"Ten-and-three-quarter inches, willow, unicorn hair, good for charmwork."

She took the wand and knew at once that this was the wand for her. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers, and it spread over to the rest of her body. She waved it and brought down a shower of red sparks; it was as if the wand was happy to find an owner. She looked up to see Mr Ollivander smiling at her. "Well, Miss Evans, that's the wand for you," he said happily, "It certainly has an affinity towards you. Use it well."

"You speak as if wands have feelings," she said curiously. He replied, "The wand chooses the witch or wizard, Miss Evans. Always remember that. If you're a very powerful witch or wizard, you can use any wand. However, the higher the affinity between the wand and its owner, stronger is the magic they perform together." Lily digested this new information silently. She thanked Mr Ollivander, paid him seven Galleons and exited the shop in a considerable state of excitement. Her parents followed, panting slightly.

An hour later, Lily was on the bus back to Cokeworth. They would arrive home by dinnertime. Professor McGonagall had taken her leave, and she and her parents had thanked the teacher profusely. Her parents had asked Professor McGonagall to look out for her, and she'd smiled and acquiesced, but not before assuring them she had no doubt whatsoever that a bright and curious girl such as their daughter would do extremely well at Hogwarts. Her parents had lightened up considerably.

Lily smiled as she looked out of the window at the bright summer sky. She was sure that it would be one of the last sunny days of the year. September the first was only a fortnight away, and she was looking forward to going to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had explained to her how to get onto platform nine-and-three-quarters, and she was thrilled to do so. _Only a fortnight_ , she thought. _Only a fortnight more…_

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"Come on!"

Lily smiled as Severus walked behind her; they were headed to her room so that he could see all of her Hogwarts stuff, her potions ingredients, and her wand. Lily's eagle owl zoomed in towards them and gave her a quick, affectionate nip on her finger before going to sleep in her cage. Severus followed Lily up the stairs.

She stopped next to her room and pulled the door open. She entered and looked behind, but Severus wasn't there. She stood there, nonplussed, as he walked in a few seconds later, clutching a piece of parchment. "I found this in your sister's room," he said excitedly; Lily looked at the parchment to see that it was a letter written in distinctive green ink. She knew where it had come from at once.

"It can't be," she said, "A Hogwarts letter to _Petunia_?"

"Let's read it," said Severus excitedly, "A Muggle contacting Hogwarts? I've never heard of such a thing. How did they do it? I guess it was the same way your letter reached Professor McGonagall," he said decisively. Lily nodded; it made sense. After all, Petunia had been there when Professor McGonagall had told her how to contact her without using owl post. She was impressed with Severus's logical reasoning skill. She bent over the letter with Severus, and saw the words in a slanting handwriting:

 _Dear Miss Evans,_

 _Thank you kindly for your letter. I am flattered to think that you would show interest in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _I am afraid I must bitterly disappoint you, Miss Evans. You see, Hogwarts is a school for people with magical abilities. Magic is something one is born with. It is not something that can be learnt with practice. It is a natural gift. At Hogwarts, we only teach students to hone their magical talent into a powerful skill._

 _Therefore, it is with great regret that I inform you that Hogwarts cannot accept you as a student. If you had been born with magic, you would have been accepted here indubitably._

 _Thank you once again for your interest. On behalf of the staff at Hogwarts, I wish you all the very best for your future endeavours. I have no doubt that you will succeed in the career path of your choice._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

 _Headmaster,_

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Lily couldn't believe it. Petunia was jealous! She was angry because she was jealous. Her sister's resentment made a lot of sense to Lily now. She looked at Snape, who looked amused. "Fancy her wanting to be a witch!" he said. Lily just nodded silently. "Put it back where you found it, and don't mention it again," she said. Snape was surprised at the authority in her voice, but he silently hastened to obey.

Lily stood rooted to the spot. _Oh no, Tuney_ , she thought, _I wish you were a witch too! I'm sorry for being one, I really am. But I'm still your sister. I'm still your sister…_

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Author's note: This story will keep jumping a few months; remember, it is a memory after all, so it will show only significant events. Cheers!


	5. Chapter 4

Thanks for the review, Light Black. You rock! Here is chapter four. Please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Four**

" **You're more brave than you're clever… Better be Gryffindor!"**

"Hurry up, or we're going to miss the train!" shouted Lily, as she practically skipped over to the enchanted barrier that served as the gateway to the magical world. "It's only ten-fifteen!" her mother said, a little crossly, but she was having none of it; she wanted to be on time. Her father followed, amused, as he pushed a trolley containing her trunk, with Cavana, her owl in her cage balanced on top of it. Mrs Evans followed them with a rather sulky Petunia.

Lily stopped in front of the barrier. "Severus told us that the barrier can admit Muggles who are related to wizards and witches, which means you can come too!" she said excitedly to the rest of her family, who stood behind her. Mr Evans smiled. "I know that, Princess," he said good-naturedly, "you've told us that fifteen times already!" Lily stuck her tongue out at him before saying, "I'll push the trolley, Daddy!" She took the trolley eagerly and set off with a run towards the barrier. She was more excited than apprehensive as the barrier came closer and closer – she could hear her parents following her – she wouldn't be able to stop now even if she tried; the barrier was too close – she wondered if Severus had been joking about this barrier, but she remembered, just in time, that Professor McGonagall had explained about the barrier too – she was a yard away – she closed her eyes and –

There was no crash. Lily opened her eyes to find herself on platform nine-and-three-quarters. She beamed as she saw the scarlet train engine in front of her, with a sign that read 'Hogwarts Express'. She looked around and took in the assortment of witches and wizards around her. There were some wearing pointed hats, others wearing robes that were not black but blue, green or maroon in colour, but they all had one thing in common; they were all there to see their children off to Hogwarts.

Lily looked behind to see that Petunia and their parents had made it onto the platform as well, and were now taking in the scene, looks of wonder on their faces. Petunia, however, looked sulky and resentful. Lily knew that her sister was wanting to go to Hogwarts too, and she wasn't taking her rejection very well. She walked over to Petunia, whose expression grew angrier as she saw Lily approach.

"So, you're off! Crazy people to a crazy place… Why're you taking the train, anyway? What happened to magic carpets or plain old flying?" Any other person would have laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Lily detected the suppressed bitterness in Petunia's voice. She sighed; ever since her trip to Diagon Alley, she'd spent the better part of the last days at home trying to make up with her sister. She still felt guilty that she was a witch and her elder sister wasn't, but there was no getting around it.

"Come on, Tuney, please be nice today at least," she said beseechingly. Petunia merely snorted. "Why should I? You're the one leaving us all behind!" she said, her voice shaking. Lily tried again.

"I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen –" She caught Petunia's hand and held tight to it, even though Petunia tried to pull it away. "Maybe once I'm there – no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!" Lily knew that it was a poor attempt, but she _was_ desperate, after all. "I don't want to go!" said Petunia, and she dragged her hand back out of her Lily's grasp. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a –"

Her pale eyes roved over the platform. Lily followed her sister's gaze over to the cats meowing in their owners' arms, over the owls, fluttering and hooting at each other in cages, over the other students, some already in their long black robes, loading trunks onto the train or else greeting one another with glad cries after a summer apart.

"—You think I want to be a – a freak?"

Lily felt as though she'd been slapped. Throughout her childhood, Tuney had always been her friend, her supporter, her defender, the nemesis of Matthew every time he taunted Lily. She couldn't believe that her own sister, her wonderful sister, on whose lap she'd once sat happily… was calling her a freak. Her eyes filled with tears. Petunia drew back and tugged her hand away.

"I'm not a freak," said Lily, and her voice shook with sadness and disbelief. "That's a horrible thing to say."

"That's where you're going," said Petunia vindictively. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."

Lily glanced toward her parents, who were still drinking in the scene. She saw Severus, standing a little distance away with his mother, and spared him a brief nod before looking back at her sister. She suddenly remembered the letter that she and Severus had found in Petunia's room. _She wanted to come to Hogwarts too_ , Lily thought angrily. _She has some nerve insulting it now, and calling me a freak… How dare she!_ Lily felt anger replace her sadness, and she when spoke the next few words to her sister, her voice was low and fierce.

"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you."

She watched with grim satisfaction as Petunia turned scarlet. Lily knew that she's touched a nerve.

"Beg? I didn't beg!" Petunia said indignantly, but her words were hollow.

"I saw his reply. It was very kind," said Lily, still angry.

"You shouldn't have read –" whispered Petunia, "that was my private… How could you –?"

Lily half-glanced over to Severus before looking at her sister again. It was a split second later that she realized that Petunia had caught her action, and she felt dismayed; she had just given herself away. Petunia gasped.

"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

"No – not sneaking –" But Lily knew that Petunia wouldn't believe her. Still, she had to try. "Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of –" But she couldn't go on as her sister cut her off.

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" said Petunia, now as pale as she had been scarlet earlier. "Freak!" she spat at Lily, and she flounced off to where her parents stood. Lily remained rooted to the spot. Her sister hated her. The one person she had idolized, looked up to when they were kids, her once-best friend hated her now. Just because she was born a witch. With a monstrous effort, she tore herself from the sad thought and made to her parents.

"Well, come on, Princess," her father said, and handed her Cavana's cage before lifting the trunk and taking it to the train. He lifted it and placed it into the corner of a compartment before alighting from the train. Mrs Evans enveloped her in a hug and said, "Now, be a good girl, Lily. Don't get into trouble. Be a model student, get good scores on all your tests, and become a wonderful witch, OK?" Lily nodded as she hugged her mother back. Her mind was still reeling from Petunia's unkindness. Her father walked up just as her mother released her, and he promptly hugged her too. "Have fun, Princess," he said softly, and kissed her forehead. She couldn't help giving him a small smile in return, although her eyes threatened to release the tears she was holding back at any second. As though sensing what she was thinking, Mr Evans said in an undertone, "Don't worry, she will come around. I'll see to that." Lily nodded, throat too constricted to speak. She was going to miss them all. She was going to a school far, far away, in a hidden world that apparently coexisted with her own ( _not anymore_ , she thought unhappily), away from her parents and Tuney…

She stole a glance at her sister, who was determinedly looking anywhere but in her direction. A whistle sounded, and she glanced at her parents, waved once, and said, "I'll write to you every day!" before running towards the train. It was time to leave. She found the compartment where her trunk lay. She had packed a set of her new robes in a small rucksack which she now slung over her back; Severus had told her that the luggage was magically transported to school once they got there, and all she had to do was take care of her pet.

Lily wandered around aimlessly, trying to fight the wave of tears that was threatening to break their restraint at any moment. The thought of being away from her family, coupled with Tuney's rejection of her, were overwhelming. Mercifully, she came across an empty compartment and promptly sat next to the window, placing Cavana's cage on the overhead luggage rack. She placed her rucksack on her lap and looked out of the window. The train had started to move, and she caught a glimpse of her parents; they were waving back at her. She waved back, and continued to do so until the train turned a corner.

Tears fell off her cheeks as she slumped back against the seat; she couldn't fight them anymore. She rubbed her eyes fiercely; she didn't want to come off as _weak_ on her first day to school. She straightened up as two dark-haired boys entered her compartment. "Mind if we sit here?" one of them asked, and she nodded, not really caring about who she was going to ride to school with. The boys flopped down onto the seats next to her, and started talking loudly and enthusiastically. Lily ignored their chatter, and they didn't pay her any attention other than sparing her a curious glance – _probably due to my red-rimmed eyes_ , she thought, a little embarrassed. A third boy entered the compartment as well, and sat there quietly, listening to the other two as if he had nothing better to do.

Lily felt restless. She was missing Severus, she realized, but she wasn't too keen on meeting him any time soon; she still blamed him, at least partially, because of her sister's behaviour. If only he hadn't told her that day in the park that she was a witch… She shook herself. No, that was not how she felt. She was, in fact, rather happy that she was a witch.

Lily spared a glance at the boys in her compartment. The dark-haired boy sitting next to her was talking about something called 'Quidditch' enthusiastically. His hazel eyes were full of mischief behind his round glasses, his face had a crooked grin ( _as though it were a permanent feature_ , she thought) and his hair was very messy… _He could do with combing his hair_ , she thought, wrinkling her nose slightly. _Then he'd look less of a hedgehog_ … She smiled inwardly, before feeling a teensy bit ashamed; she was already forming notions about him, and she didn't even know him yet. Instead she looked at the boy across from him. He was very good-looking, with dark hair and grey eyes which crinkled when he smiled, as he was doing now as he talked. She focused on the third boy who sat next to the second. He was smiling slightly too; a pleasant smile, not a crooked one like the boy next to her. His eyes were brown, and his hair was brown too. He looked slightly nervous; she supposed he too was feeling the first day apprehension. She tried to listen to what the messy-haired boy next to her was saying, hoping she'd hear more tit-bits about the Wizarding world and Hogwarts.

"—and then Harrison attacked from the left, it was a clear Hawkshead, you know… The Keeper didn't stand a chance!"

"That was what, his tenth goal?" asked the good-looking boy. The messy-haired boy snorted.

"Fifteenth! A new League record for Puddlemere United!" he said proudly, running a hand through his hair, leaving it even messier than before.

"Wow…"

"I know, the bloke's amazing, he is a legendary Chaser… And he's a homegrown player too, he trained at their Academy itself!"

"Well, I don't fancy Puddlemere so much, I'm a Tornadoes fan… The only team they've lost to this season are the Harpies…"

"Yeah, and they've got Gavin Bradley for Seeker… Bloke catches the Snitch within fifteen minutes in every game, it's hard for the Chasers to keep up!"

"Bradley's amazing, he's one of the most exciting players in the League right now, and he's only nineteen! He'll definitely make it to the England team this year…"

"Yeah, but Ludo Bagman's a possibility too… With Alex Taylor retiring this year, England will need a beater now, and Bagman's great!"

"True, but Bradley will make it to the team before Bagman…"

"Will not…"

"Will too…"

"Nah, he won't…"

"Oh yes, he will…"

" _Won't!_ What do you think?" The messy-haired boy turned to the brown-haired boy, who just shrugged and said, his voice soft, "Not much of a Quidditch follower, myself."

Lily started as the messy-haired boy turned to look at her. "What do _you_ think? Will it be Bagman or Bradley?"

"Er – I don't know what you're talking about," she said, a little embarrassed. She had been listening in, but she didn't know what was going on; all the words like 'Chaser' and 'Seeker' and 'Tornadoes' were new to her. She surmised vaguely that they were talking about a sport of some kind. The two boys looked scandalized; she quickly stole a glance at the third boy, and he was looking at her pleasantly, but with a glint of amusement in his eye. She blushed.

"We're talking about Quidditch!" said the good-looking boy. Then seeing that she continued to look nonplussed, he added incredulously, "Never heard of Quidditch before?" She shook her head. The messy-haired boy looked at her knowingly. "Are you Muggle-born?" he asked, before saying, "Are your parents Muggles?" She nodded, and he said decisively, " _That's_ why! It's the best game in the world, Quidditch is… Hogwarts has a tournament, and every House has a team! I'm going to try out for my House team for certain, whichever that is…" His voice trailed off, and she nodded politely, not really understanding his excitement. It was just a game, after all. He probably caught on to her disinterest, and he shrugged and resumed his discussion with the good-looking boy.

She stared out of the window again, and her dreary mood returned. She kept wondering why Tuney was jealous, and why couldn't she just be happy for her. It was a wonderful thing that she was a witch, after all; wouldn't she be able to do real magic now, and not the tricks at the shows she'd seen all her life? Why did Tuney resent her so much? And why, oh why, wasn't Tuney born a witch too? Was this how it was going to be with her sister from now on? She couldn't bear that thought, and tears formed in her eyes again. She wiped them away fiercely and inconspicuously, and her action went unnoticed by the boys in her compartment; they were too engrossed in their discussion.

The door opened and much to her relief, it was Severus who entered. She noted that he had already changed into his new Hogwarts robes; it was as though he had shed his weird clothing at the first chance he'd got. She looked outside the window again; just looking at him had brought back her fight with her sister, and right now, she wanted to think about anything _but_ that. And so, when he sat in the empty seat across from her, she spared him a glance before looking out of the window again.

"I don't want to talk to you," she told him, her voice constricted. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

She looked at him in deep dislike. Didn't he _understand_ what she was going through?

"So she's my sister!" She was trying to wipe her eyes inconspicuously again, and didn't catch what he said next, until he said, "But we're going!" The exhilaration in his voice made her look up. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" he said, even more excited. It occurred to her that he was trying to cheer her up. She nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled; his excitement was contagious.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Severus brightly, but before he could say anything more, they were interrupted when someone said, "Slytherin?"

She looked at the speaker; it was the messy-haired boy next to her, and he was looking at them with incredulity mingled with disbelief.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" the boy said to the good-looking boy in front of him; there was a smirk on his face and she heard a derisive note in his voice. The good-looking boy didn't smile back.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said.

"Blimey," said the messy-haired boy, clearly thrown, "And I thought you seemed all right!"

The good-looking boy grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

The messy-haired boy mimed an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

Severus made a small, disparaging noise, and she turned to look at him. The messy-haired boy turned to him as well, and stared at Severus with growing dislike. "Got a problem with that?" he asked, and the derision in his voice became even clearer. Lily didn't like where this conversation was going.

"No," said Severus, but his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy –" But the handsome boy cut him off, his face wearing an identical expression of dislike as the boy next to her. "Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" he asked Severus, and the messy-haired boy roared with laughter. Lily felt a flush spreading across her face; the handsome boy had put down Severus rather unkindly, and she felt the need to defend her best friend. She stole a glance at the third boy, who had been quiet all this time, and he met her gaze with embarrassment mingled with sympathy. Lily decided at that moment that she would probably end up being good friends with the quiet boy. She looked at the other two boys with dislike. She stood up and picked up the sleeping Cavana's cage.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," she said to Severus, whose face was flushed with anger. Luckily, he obeyed without question, and followed her out.

"Oooooo…"

It sounded like the other two boys were imitating her voice, and the flush on her face grew. She saw the messy-haired boy try to trip Severus as he passed. "See ya, Snivellus!" he called, and the compartment door slammed shut.

Lily looked at Severus, who seemed to be shaking with anger. "C'mon," was all she said, though, and they wandered along the corridor until they came to a compartment at the very end of the train, which was mercifully empty. They promptly threw themselves in the window-seats. Lily addressed Severus, who still looked angry.

"Ignore them, they're idiots," she said comfortingly. He seemed to accept her words silently. She said, "Tell me about the Houses," and was relieved to see a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Well," he began, "There's four Houses – named after the four founders of Hogwarts, see? They're Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Each House has its own defining qualities for its members…"

The rest of the afternoon wore on pleasantly. There was a witch who arrived with a trolley of what looked like sweets, but they both declined to buy any food; their respective parents had packed lunch for them. They talked more about Hogwarts, lessons, Christmas at Hogwarts, Quidditch, and just about every other thing that he knew about the school. As the sun dipped lower in the orange September sky, Severus stepped out of the compartment graciously to allow her to change into her Hogwarts robes. She could feel the train slowing down as darkness descended outside; she was filled with a nervous excitement.

The train rattled to a stop at last, on a brightly lit station platform, she noted, looking outside the window. She grabbed Cavana's cage and her rucksack, and followed a highly excited Severus out of the train. In front of her, she saw a sea of black as students exited the train, dressed in the school uniform. She'd barely had time to take note of her surroundings, however, when she heard a gruff, cheerful voice booming over the chattering crowd.

"Firs'-years this way!" she heard someone call, and looked at the speaker in great surprise; for he was without doubt the largest man she'd ever seen. He was about eight feet tall, with warm, beetle-black eyes and his beard was a long, tangled mass of hair. She quietly made her way to the man with Severus lagging behind her slightly. The other students walked away from the station towards what looked like carriages, but the first-years lingered; Lily surmised that there were more than thirty other students with her.

"All righ' then, c'mon!" said the man, and began to walk away. The first-years followed, jogging a little to keep up, talking nervously amongst themselves. The man stopped at the bank of a huge lake, where about twenty boats stood near the shore. "No more'n four to a boat! Leave your pe's and bags in one of these boats, and they'll come tuh yer dormitories – magically!" the man boomed again, and Lily did as she was told and quickly sat in a boat with Severus and two other boys. "Are we supposed to row?" she asked in general, but before anyone could respond, she heard the huge man shout, "Forward!" All the boats moved forward in tandem with each other, and Lily felt the cool night breeze on her face and smiled. She looked straight ahead, until –

A huge, coal-black castle came into view. It had tall towers on its sides, and the central tower was the highest. The ground floor of the castle looked ablaze with lights, and looked very welcoming. Lily smiled happily at the sight of it; it was going to be her new home for the next seven years. She looked at Severus, who was positively beaming with happiness.

A few minutes later, the first-years stood nervously in a line in the Great hall. The giant man (who had been addressed as 'Hagrid' by Professor McGonagall) had delivered them to Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall, before departing towards the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall had spared a nod and a small smile towards Lily before beginning to give all first-years a stern lecture. She had explained about the Houses, the common room, the points system, and the general behaviour that was expected from Hogwarts students. Then she'd beckoned the first-years into a line, and they had entered the Great Hall where everyone else sat, at their respective House tables. The Sorting Hat had just sung a song about the school and the Houses, and it now lay over a three-legged stool.

Lily was starting to feel really nervous now. She didn't know which House she was going to be in, and she was starting to feel a bit nauseous as she waited. Professor McGonagall was unrolling a long scroll of parchment, and she said to the first-years, "When I call out your name, step out of the line and put the hat over your head. Adair, Jacob!"

A blond boy stepped out of the line, walked over to the stool, and put the hat over his head. There was a moment's silence. Then –

"Hufflepuff!"

The table second from left clapped and cheered, and Jacob Adair joined it, smiling nervously.

"Anderson, Kyle!"

Another boy imitated the first. Then –

"Ravenclaw!"

The table second from right cheered this time, and Kyle Anderson happily sat down at it.

"Avery, Bruno!"

"Slytherin!"

The table farthest to the right cheered loudly, and Bruno Avery walked to it, his face leering with happiness that somehow made him look a bit bestial.

"Black, Sirius!"

Lily recognized the dark-haired, good-looking boy she'd met earlier that day, and with a rush of irritation, remembered that he had been the one who had been unkind to Severus. Hadn't he said that his entire family had belonged to Slytherin? She wondered if he would go there too, but –

"Gryffindor!"

The leftmost table exploded with cheers this time (as though wanting to outdo the Slytherin cheer), and without so much as a backward glance, Sirius Black walked over to the other Gryffindors, grinning broadly. Lily thought that she heard the rightmost table send a collective hiss in Sirius's direction.

"Bond, Ashley! ("Slytherin!") – Breckenridge, Alfred! ("Ravenclaw!") – Carter, Jane! (Gryffindor!") – Crawford, Mandy! – ("Hufflepuff!") –," The students kept getting sorted, and the line began to thin. Lily observed that the hat made its decision quickly most of the time, but sometimes it took longer; "Dalton, Clara!" sat on the stool for nearly three minutes before the hat declared her to be a Ravenclaw. Then –

"Evans, Lily!"

She stepped forward, and quickly made her way to the stool. Her hands shook slightly as she placed the hat over her head. She waited.

"Ahh," said a voice in her head, "Plenty of intelligence, I see, and a nice thirst for knowledge… You'd make a fine Ravenclaw… But wait… I see a lot of courage in you as well, and the ability to remain calm under pressure… Gryffindor will be a good place for you to be, too… So where should I put you?" She wasn't really sure. She waited for the hat to make its decision, and the voice spoke up again, "Well, you're more brave than clever… So better be _Gryffindor_!"

She heard the hat shout out the last word, and rose gracefully from the stool, extremely relieved. The leftmost table was cheering again, and as she walked towards it, she stole a glance back to the line. She could've sworn that Professor McGonagall wore a small smile on her face, but her eyes found Severus, whose expression was a little bitter. She knew that he wanted to be in Slytherin, and it was clear that they both would probably be in different Houses. She smiled sadly at him before joining the Gryffindors, who were still cheering.

She sat next to the good-looking boy from the train, Sirius Black. He was still clapping at her, but she wasn't really in the mood to be nice to him, especially after he'd treated Severus like that, so she simply turned his back to him and sat down. The Sorting wore on.

"Gilchrist, Mark! ("Gryffindor!") – Harper, Paul! ("Ravenclaw!") – Hathaway, Roger! ("Hufflepuff!") – Huntington, Elizabeth! –"

"Gryffindor!" shouted the Hat, and Lily clapped along with the other Gryffindors as Elizabeth Huntington came to their table and sat down next to Lily, smiling in relief. "Phew, that went well!" she exclaimed, "Mum would've killed me if I'd been put in any other House!" Nonplussed, Lily asked, "Why?"

"Well, all of my family have been in Gryffindor," said Elizabeth, "And they wanted me to carry forward the tradition. Dad's a bit lax, of course, but Mum takes this House business _very_ seriously," she rolled her eyes, "But she'll be happy now, I guess… I'm Liz, by the way, Liz Huntington," she said, and held out a hand to Lily, who smiled, introduced herself, and shook it. Lily liked the way Liz's smile reached her warm sea-green eyes, and her short, shoulder-length blond hair fell about in curls. They quickly turned their attention back to the Sorting.

"– Johnson, Gavin! ("Hufflepuff!") – Knight, Melissa! ("Ravenclaw!") – Lewis, Allan! ("Hufflepuff!") – Lupin, Remus! –"

Lily watched as the brown-haired, pleasant-faced boy from the train made his way to the stool. A second's pause, then –

"Gryffindor!"

She clapped along with the rest, and Remus Lupin joined them all, smiling nervously. He nodded to Lily once, and she nodded back and smiled. Sirius Black leaned forward and engaged Remus in conversation; Lily rolled her eyes at Liz, who smiled at her before whispering, "I'm hungry, wish they'd hurry up!" At that, Lily sighed and said, "Why'd you have to mention food?" Liz smiled resignedly and clapped with the rest as "MacDonald, Mary!" and "McKinnon, Marlene!" were Sorted into Gryffindor one after another. A round of introductions followed.

"– Mulciber, Pernicus! ("Slytherin!") – Norton, Karen! ("Hufflepuff!") – Osborne, Felicity! ("Slytherin!") – Palmer, Claire! ("Ravenclaw!") – Pettigrew, Peter! –"

A fat little boy with mousy hair walked forward and placed the Hat on his head. The hat took a long time to decide with Peter Pettigrew, but at the end of five minutes, finally shouted, "Gryffindor!" Lily clapped along with the rest, and asked Liz, "Why does the Hat take longer to decide for some people?"

"It is when someone shows the qualities of at least two Houses. That's called a 'Hatstall', see? But the Hat always sorts people in the end. Oh, I wish they'd hurry up, I'm famished!" Liz said, rubbing her stomach and looking longingly at the empty plate in front of her, as "Potter, James!" was called forward. With a jolt, Lily realised that it was the messy-haired, bespectacled boy who was walking forward, a cocky grin on his face. "I hope he doesn't join us," she whispered to Liz, but it was of no use; the hat had barely touched his head when it shouted, "Gryffindor!" Grinning, James Potter strutted to their table and sat down in front of her amid the cheering and clapping. He looked at her, and his grin widened. "All right, there, Evans?" he said, but Lily couldn't bring herself to reply, so she gave a curt nod in response and turned away as "Ridley, Kevin!" was Sorted into Ravenclaw and "Rosier, Evan!" went to Slytherin. Then –

"Snape, Severus!"

She watched eagerly as Severus walked forward and put the hat on his head. The Hat took only about two seconds to decide, "Slytherin!" The Slytherin table cheered, and Severus made his way to the other side of the Hall, away from her. She smiled sadly once again, lost in thought, until a voice jolted her attention back to the table.

"That greasy git got his wish," Black was saying. Potter laughed and shook his head in disbelief before turning to her. "You want to be careful, Evans," he said, smiling at her, "The Slytherins are an unpleasant bunch, and you don't want to make friends of the wrong sort. We could help you, you know," he indicated himself and Sirius. "Bit rich of you to say that, considering your own friend's _entire_ family was Sorted into _Slytherin_ ," she indicated towards Black, and watched with satisfaction as the smirks were wiped off of their faces. Liz chortled and said, "I don't understand why these Houses are such a big deal. Mum practically threatened to disown me if I wasn't Sorted into Gryffindor, but personally, I don't see why we can't be friends with people from other Houses." Potter replied rather defensively, "Well, the Slytherins are unpleasant towards the other Houses in general." Liz shrugged and turned back to the Sorting. Lily felt a warm glow on her face; Liz had just indirectly defended her. Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to make friends other than Severus, after all.

And finally, with "Wilkes, Tristan!" (Slytherin!) and "Willoughby, Nicholas!" ("Hufflepuff!") the Sorting came to an end. Professor McGonagall took the Hat and the stool away, before returning and sitting down at the only empty chair at the teacher's table. She glanced up there too, and saw a tall man with a white beard that came all the way down to his waist stand up to address the students. "That's Professor Dumbledore, our Headmaster!" supplied Liz unnecessarily from next to her; Severus had already told her that particular detail. The chatter died down at once as Dumbledore raised his hands.

"Welcome, new students! To our older students, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts! Now, there are a few announcements to be made, but there's a time and place for everything. Tuck in!" he said, and Lily gasped as the plates in front of her filled with food. There was roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, potato chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas and carrots, with gravy and ketchup as seasonings. She simply stared until Liz asked, "Well, are you going to stare or are you going to eat? It's food, you know, not grass," she added, smiling slightly. Lily glanced at her once before loading her plate with food, and began to eat. It was delicious. The first-years around her laughed and chatted, and she listened carefully.

"You see, I come from a long line of wizards and witches," Liz was saying, "And for some strange reason, they were all in Gryffindor. I'm sure glad I didn't break the tradition like Black there," she added in a whisper, and Lily smiled. "What about you?" asked Liz.

"Well, my parents are both Muggles, but I knew I had unnatural powers," said Lily, "It's hard not to notice when strange things happen every time you're scared or angry, y'know?" she added, and Liz laughed. "But Professor McGonagall came to my house on my eleventh birthday, and she explained it all. My parents were really surprised and proud, but I think they were happier to find out that Hogwarts didn't have any education fees," she joked, and Liz laughed again. "Figures," she said knowingly, "You looked shocked when food appeared out of thin air; Professor McGonagall must have missed out the little details." Lily laughed. Liz continued in an undertone, "Let's see… Potter, Black, Gilchrist and those girls Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon, all come from old and prominent Wizarding families in Britain. As do I," she added. "I don't know about Lupin and Pettigrew and Carter, though," she said. Lily nodded, documenting the information. She looked over to Mary MacDonald, who was saying, "I'm half and half, see? My Mum is a Muggle-born witch. She and my Dad got together in school, and we all live in a quiet little village called Tickenham. What a story they have," she said dreamily, and Lily saw Potter and Black roll their eyes. Mary had brown hair, and her eyes were a shade of amber. Lily liked the look of her; she seemed friendly.

"Well, Mark and I are practically brother and sister," said Jane Carter, "We're next door neighbours, though I doubt our parents will be thrilled that we're in the same House, after spending nearly all our lives in the – er – same _house_ ," she finished, and everyone laughed. Jane was a dark-haired girl with laughing honey-coloured eyes. She watched as Mark Gilchrist attempted to steal a boiled potato piece off Jane's plate, but Jane caught him and slapped his hand away and said, "Nice try, Gilchrist!" Mark Gilchrist looked a bit crestfallen, but his blue eyes twinkled.

"I'm from Scotland, originally, but we live in London now," said Marlene McKinnon. She was very exotic-looking, with long dark hair and big cobalt blue eyes that seemed to have a permanent sparkle in them. "Everyone assumes that old families like ours have a Manor, but we live in an apartment in Chelsea; no one seems to understand that the family gold gets _distributed_ every generation," she rolled her eyes. Lily wasn't quite sure how to respond, but was saved from the necessity of doing so; Black and Potter were roaring with laughter and Pettigrew was flushed red with embarrassment, and it looked like they'd cracked a joke at his expense. Lily saw Elizabeth roll her eyes.

A variety of desserts appeared after dinner, and Lily sampled each and every one of those before deciding that she liked chocolate gateau the best. She watched, frowning slightly, as Potter, Black and Pettigrew seemed to have engaged in some sort of eating contest. Potter was rapidly eating treacle tart, Black had a number of apple pies on his plate, and Pettigrew practically inhaled the raspberry jelly in front of him. She watched them with growing astonishment as Black and Potter gave up, which meant that Pettigrew was the winner, and she smiled slightly as a grin slowly spread across his face. Black and Potter groaned, and Marlene McKinnon said to Lily helpfully, "The others have to carry the one who stops eating last to Gryffindor Tower!" Lily laughed along with the rest as Potter and Black continued to look abashed; the thought of carrying Pettigrew all the way to Gryffindor Tower was daunting.

An hour later, Lily looked happily at the dormitory that she would share with Liz, Mary, Jane and Marlene for the next one year. There was a large four-poster bed, and her trunk, rucksack and Cavana's cage lay next to one of them. Cavana hooted indignantly, and Lily quickly unlocked the cage and released her. The owl nipped her finger affectionately before taking off into the night. Lily didn't talk much, but changed into her pyjamas and settled into bed. _I'm going to love this place_ , she thought as she drifted to sleep. _I'm going to love it!_

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 **Author's note** : Well, there you go… I have written all scenes from Deathly Hallows from Lily's POV until the Sorting, and now I have over four years of gaps to fill! Have fun reading, and if you have any ideas for incidents, pranks and Lily-Marauder interaction, feel free to add them to your reviews, and I'll definitely try to incorporate them! Cheers!


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks for the review, Light Black. Here is chapter five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Five**

" **This is what you deserve for being a Mudblood!"**

The first few days were a blur.

Lily was just _so_ excited to be at Hogwarts. She wanted to explore every inch of the castle, and she vowed to spend her free time doing exactly that. Her lessons were very interesting. She discovered that she had a knack for Potions and Charms, while not doing badly in the other subjects as well. She got used to the homework system at Hogwarts very quickly; the teachers set them weekly essays that were mostly related to the classwork, and she had absolutely no problem coping up with the other students, especially those from magical families.

Her first ever lesson had been Transfiguration, and she'd been looking forward to it; ever since the incident of the cup turning into a crab, Lily had wanted to learn to transfigure objects at will. Professor McGonagall taught the subject, and her first impression about the teacher had been correct; she was certainly strict, and it wasn't a good idea to get on her bad side. She gave them a lecture on discipline in their first lesson, and as a demonstration, turned the bookshelf in the class into a lion (quite a few people screamed at that) before turning it back into a bookshelf. Everyone was very excited, but they soon learnt that that kind of magic was taught to sixth- or seventh-years; for their first lesson, they had to turn a matchstick into a needle. Lily was irritated to discover that Potter had been able to do so on his third try, and Black on his fourth, while the rest of the class struggled. She shrugged it off, however, when Professor McGonagall awarded Gryffindor twenty points. Beside her, she watched as Liz struggled as well, but by the end of the lesson they both had been able to do what was asked.

Then there was Charms. Lily had been rather disconcerted to see that Professor Flitwick was only about three feet tall, but he soon proved to be an adept teacher. He started by teaching them a simple Wand-Lighting Charm ( _Lumos!_ ), and she'd got it on her first try, earning points for Gryffindor as well. Twice a week they had Herbology, where they dealt with a number of odd-looking magical plants and learnt about their uses, such as the Moly (which protected against Dark Enchantments) and the Dittany (a powerful healing herb). Professor Sprout taught the subject, and she was a very fair teacher, nice to all students in general.

They had to study History of Magic as well, which was an extremely boring class taught by the ghost of Professor Binns (Lily had first been shocked that ghosts existed but was soon used to the idea; indeed, she and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington often swapped stories at mealtimes), who would drone on and on about a number of magical events that had taken place in the past. It seemed like only Lily herself, and Liz to an extent, were able to resist the sleep-inducing power of Professor Binns' voice; indeed, the two of them took notes diligently as some of the class (like Mark Gilchrist, Jane Carter and Peter Pettigrew) dozed, while Potter and Black played the fool silently at the back. James Potter had caught her looking at them in disapproval a few times, and he had always replied with a smile and a cocky wave that irritated her.

They had flying lessons once a week as well, taken by Madam Hooch. Liz, Marlene and Black proved to be adept fliers, having flown on a broomstick many times before during their childhood. However, none of them were anywhere close to being as good as James Potter, who was simply brilliant with a broomstick. Lily looked on enviously as he moved so elegantly and easily through the air that it was hard to believe that he needed a broomstick at all. He would run a hand through his hair every time he would land, though, leaving it even messier than before, and this habit of his somehow always seemed to rub her the wrong way. It didn't help matters when he kept poking fun at her own nervousness to fly.

An old man named Aetius Romanus taught them Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA). He really was rather ancient, and looked frail; however, he was a tough teacher, who expected the best from his students. He started by explaining to them what the Dark Arts were, before talking about the possible defences against them. Lily liked his class; she found it interesting, as did most of her friends. The first-years also had Astronomy on Wednesday nights, on top of the Astronomy Tower; an early riser, Lily always felt sleepy as they noted the positions of the stars and planets every week in order to study their movements.

Her favourite class by far had been Potions, though. It was taught by Professor Slughorn, a fat, genial wizard with a walrus-like moustache. She liked this class especially because they had it with the Slytherins, and she and Severus sat next to each other. She remembered her first lesson proudly; it was a Friday afternoon and Professor Slughorn had set them a potion that could cure boils. They were working in pairs, so naturally, Lily and Severus decided to work together, leaving Liz a little disappointed. As it turned out, though, working with Severus was an excellent experience. They both seemed to have similar instincts; it was as if they could read each other's' minds. They completed the potion to perfection with ease, and being the only pair to have done so, earned ten points apiece for their respective Houses.

Lily usually worked on her homework in the library, sometimes with Severus, sometimes with Liz. She was coming to regard Liz as a very helpful friend. Liz was clever and friendly and talkative, with a devilish kind of sarcasm, but her smile generally took the sting out of her comments. Everyone liked her, and Lily looked up to her. Liz was genuinely nice as well, and went out of her way to make Lily feel more at home in the magical world. Mary and Marlene were inseparable, as were Potter and Black; Lily couldn't stand them, but that was partly because she felt a bit envious of them; they did well in all classes without appearing to work hard. Mark and Jane did everything together as well, and Pettigrew generally hung around with Black and Potter, which left Remus all alone. Lily liked the quiet, pleasant boy; more often than not she would ask him to join them whilst they studied, and he would comply after a bit of persuasion. He hung around with Black and Potter sometimes, too; but more often than not, he preferred to keep to himself.

Liz and Lily soon became best friends, and in spite of old prejudices, Liz tolerated Severus because he was Lily's friend. They barely spoke a word to each other during their joint study sessions, though, and if they had to, they addressed each other by name. Lily tried to get them to talk to each other, but it didn't really work; both of them remained content to be neutral to each other.

"He's not so bad, you know," said Lily one windy October evening as she worked with Liz in the library. Professor Flitwick had set them an essay to cover the advantages and disadvantages of the Wand-Lighting Charm, and she was almost done. Liz didn't even look up from her essay. Lily tried again. "So what if he's in Slytherin? They're not all bad, are they?"

"I guess not," said Liz after a pause. She continued working. Lily faced her, a little irritated.

"I mean, come on," she said, "What's the problem? Why do they have a bad reputation? Why does nobody like to mix with them? They can be good people, you know."

Liz looked up at last. "I know," she said, "But most of the time, they're not. They generally keep to themselves, too, and they have their own weird philosophies. They believe that only people of magical parentage should be allowed at Hogwarts. Utter rubbish, if you ask me," she said, a little angrily. Lily stared at her.

"Really? But – what about people like me? I'm a witch too!" she exclaimed. Behind her, Madam Pince, the vulture-like librarian, looked at her sternly, and Lily quickly held up a hand to apologize.

"They believe that having a fully magical family makes them superior, typically royal," Liz said scathingly. "They call such people 'pure-bloods', it's pathetic! I don't believe that nonsense, but the Slytherins do, which is why I can never bring myself to like them!"

"Severus says it makes no difference to have Muggle parents," said Lily quietly. Liz shrugged.

"Give it a few years," she said softly, "And he'll be singing a different tune. Mark my words, Lily!"

Lily stood up, suddenly incensed. "You're wrong!" she whispered furiously. Liz didn't even turn a hair. "I hope I am, but I don't think so," she said calmly.

"I think I'll work on this essay in the common room," said Lily. She picked up her books and her essay, stuffed them into her bag and stormed off, without waiting to see Liz's face as it went from calmness to shock. "Lily, wait –," she said, but Lily had already left.

She marched along the corridors, in a blinding rage, hardly paying attention to where she was going. _How dare she,_ she thought. _How dare she insult Severus. She doesn't even know him. And here she is making assumptions about him. Severus isn't like the rest of them, if they really are like that. He is a nice person_ …

He train of thought was rudely interrupted when she walked headlong into something big. She fell back, and looked up to find two hulking boys. Their faces were set in identical, leering smiles. She realized with a jolt that their ties had white and green stripes; they were obviously Slytherins.

"Watch where you're going, girl," one of them said rudely. "What's your name?"

"L-Lily," she stammered, getting to her feet, "Lily Evans." The two boys laughed derisively.

"So," said one of them jeeringly, "It looks like we've got ourselves a little Mudblood, Travers." The one called Travers laughed again. "This is going to be fun, Weston!" They whipped out their wands with identical motions, and their evil grins widened. Lily watched in alarm as they pointed their wands at her.

"Please let me go, I'm sorry I ran into you!" she pleaded, but it was of no use.

" _Labocrus!_ " shouted Weston, and Lily suddenly felt her legs give way beneath her. She wobbled around uncontrollably, unable to stand straight. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn't support her weight; it was hard enough just to try standing straight. Her bag was already on the floor, and she heard a _crack_ as her ink-bottles broke; she was sure that her newly-finished, beautifully written Charms essay was now ruined. Tears streamed down her eyes. "Please…" she said, but now the second boy was raising his wand.

" _Densaugeo!_ " he yelled, and Lily felt a sudden pain in her front teeth. She felt them with rising panic; they were growing. She had an overbite, and she was sure she resembled a rabbit. Even more tears flowed down her eyes. She couldn't speak, her teeth were impeding her tongue. The two boys laughed cruelly as she sauntered around on wobbly legs.

"This is what you deserve for being a Mudblood," said one of them softly, menace in his tone. An incoherent sob escaped her. The boy frowned. "Shut up," he said calmly, and muttered, " _Silencio!_ " She couldn't make a sound; it was as if she'd been struck dumb. She cried silently with pain and humiliation. Her wobbly legs gave way, and she fell on her knees. She looked up beseechingly at the boys, who roared with laughter.

"What's going on here?" a sharp female voice suddenly called from behind her. She turned and saw a tall girl approaching them, her wand raised, her expression furious. Lily gasped inaudibly and felt no relief at all; the girl's tie was green as well. She too was clearly a Slytherin.

"We're just having a bit of fun, Andromeda," said Travers smoothly. Andromeda knelt down and helped the cowering Lily to her feet, but Lily couldn't stand; her legs were still wobbly. Lily heard the other girl sigh and say, "Jelly-Legs, huh?" She pointed her wand at Lily's legs and whispered, " _Finite!_ " Her legs steadied at once, and Lily looked up at the girl gratefully with tear-filled eyes, and was relieved to find the tall Slytherin girl smiling at her. Travers and Weston looked affronted.

"Come on, just because you don't like doing it, doesn't mean we don't, Andromeda," said Weston angrily. Andromeda looked at them, her nostrils flaring. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves," she said dangerously, and they cowered slightly under her gaze. "She's a Mudblood, Andromeda," said Travers defiantly, "She doesn't deserve to be here."

Andromeda's face contorted with anger. "You two are a disgrace to Slytherin House," she said disdainfully. "Cowards, the both of you! Picking on a poor, defenceless first-year! At least pick on someone your own size! Detention to you both!" she shouted out the last sentence. Travers cowered, but Weston looked livid. "On the contrary, you're the disgrace, Andromeda Black, and you're Head Girl! But it's obvious why you stand up for Mudbloods!" he spat, "Clearly, you're biased because of that Mudblood you're seeing – Ted Tonks, isn't it?"

He had touched a nerve. Andromeda's beautiful grey eyes flashed, but when she spoke, it was in a voice of forced calm. "Fifty points from Slytherin," she said, and Travers and Weston looked shocked. "Now get out of here before I hex you!" The two boys obeyed, and walked away, muttering mutinously.

"Lily?"

It took her a second to realize that the Head Girl was addressing her. She looked up again, and Andromeda smiled. "Are you all right? I can fix your teeth, if you like, or would you rather go to the hospital wing?" Lily shook her head. Andromeda sighed again. "A Silencing Charm too, eh? Those two keep getting more and more juvenile!" She pointed her wand at Lily again and said, " _Dicero!_ " Lily found her voice again with great relief.

"Thank you," she said with difficulty. Andromeda asked her again, "Do you want me to fix your teeth, too? Just nod if you want me to." Lily nodded once, and Andromeda tapped her teeth with her wand and whispered, " _Restituo!_ " She felt a sudden hotness near her front teeth, and felt them again; to her relief, they appeared to have returned to their normal size. Andromeda quickly conjured a mirror and held it to her. Lily looked at her reflection; to her relief, she looked completely normal, albeit with a pale face, puffy eyes and tear streaks down her cheeks. She rubbed her face again.

"Thank you," she said again, looking up at the Head Girl happily. Andromeda smiled at her, and comfortingly put an arm around her shoulders. "How did you know my name?" Lily asked shyly. Andromeda laughed. "Well, contrary to popular perception, some of the older students _do_ pay attention to the Sorting, you know," she said dryly. Lily laughed with her.

"Come on, I'll take you back to your common room," said the Head Girl. Lily nodded and went to pick up her bag before remembering that her ink bottles had smashed over her essay. She sighed despondently, and Andromeda asked her, "What's wrong, Lily?" Lily said softly, "Well – I dropped my bag when they cursed me, and all of my ink bottles – well, _broke_. My books and essays – they are all in there, and they're ruined!" She tried hard not to cry but her eyes filled with tears again. Andromeda smiled comfortingly at her.

"Let me see," she said kindly, and Lily silently held up her bag. Andromeda waved her wand a couple of times and said, "Check it now, Lily." Astounded, Lily rummaged inside her bag to find her ink bottles, quills, books and essays intact. They were as good as new. She smiled a genuine smile up at Andromeda. "Oh, and I put an Unbreakable Charm on your ink bottles, too, just in case –," she said, but Lily had stood up and hugged her. "Thank you so much for rescuing me, Head Girl," she said with genuine sincerity. "You're not like them – those horrid boys who attacked me!"

Andromeda's smile faded as Lily drew back. "I'm going to report those two, this isn't the first time they've done something like this," she said fiercely. "C'mon, let's go to your common room." Lily nodded and linked her hand in Andromeda's, and the two set off. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Lily ventured to ask, "Andromeda, what's a Mudblood?"

Even in the dim light, she saw Andromeda wince. "It's a really foul thing to call somebody," she said, and Lily was surprised to hear the anger in her voice. "It means dirty blood… It is a word used to refer to someone of non-magical parentage, in a very despicable and disgusting way. I'm sorry you had to hear yourself being called that," she said, a little sadly. Lily squeezed the older girl's hand. "You don't have to apologize. You didn't call me that, _they_ did," she said fiercely. Andromeda stopped suddenly, and bent down so that she and Lily were now face-to-face. Lily noted the sleek and shiny dark brown hair, and the sparkling grey eyes on her beautiful face.

Andromeda's grey eyes bored into Lily's green ones. "Don't you believe for even a second that you're inferior to them in any way," she said softly. "You're as much part of our world as they are, all right? Don't let _anyone_ convince you otherwise. There's _no_ difference between a pure-blood and a Muggle-born, d'you understand? No difference at all!" Her words rang with conviction. Lily felt a genuine glow of happiness spread around her body. Andromeda, satisfied, continued to walk ahead, and Lily followed her quickly. Those grey eyes were very familiar. With a sudden realization, she remembered Dumbledore introducing the Head students at the start-of-term feast… Justin Hawthorne of Ravenclaw and Andromeda Black of Slytherin…

"Are you related to Sirius Black?" she asked the Head Girl excitedly. Andromeda smiled. "Yes, we're cousins. He's in your year, isn't he? Are you friends with Sirius?" Lily blushed. "Well – not really," she admitted. Andromeda laughed. "Yes, he can be quite a berk sometimes," she said, "But once you get to know him, he's all right, really. He's like me, we share the same point of view, unlike the other people in my family," she finished, and there was disappointment in her tone. "I'm glad Sirius decided to be in Gryffindor, it suits him," she said, her voice stronger, "I wish I'd been that brave when I was getting Sorted, but I didn't want to disappoint my family, so I asked the Hat to put me in Slytherin. It said I'd have done well in Hufflepuff." She laughed again. Lily smiled politely. They walked in silence until the Fat Lady's portrait came into view.

"Well, this is where I leave you," said Andromeda. "Stay safe, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to holler!" She waved at Lily, who said, "Thanks again, Andromeda!" She watched as the beautiful Head Girl retreated down the corridor before giving the password and entering the common room. She'd barely taken ten steps when she heard a voice call, "Where've you been, Lily? We were starting to get worried!"

She looked around to see Liz sitting with Mary and Marlene; expressions of concern on all of their faces. She quickly walked over to them. "You left the library ages ago!" said Liz, "And I got here before _you_ did! Where _have_ you been?" Lily sat down and said, "I got held up." With whispers, she communicated briefly what had transpired; how the two hulking Slytherins had bullied her and hexed her, how the Head Girl had helped her and how nice she had been while dropping her off to the common room. She saw her friends' expressions change from shock to fear to outrage to sympathy and finally to relief.

"So, it's like I said, Liz," Lily continued, "Some Slytherins are good people." Liz swallowed hard and nodded before bowing her head and saying, "I know that. I'm not sorry for being prejudiced against them, but I'm sorry for stereotyping Snape into being like most of them, what with their notions of blood purity and all." Lily nodded and smiled.

"Are you OK, though?" asked Marlene with concern. "Do you need Hospital Wing?" Lily shook her head. "Are you sure?" asked Mary. "Those hexes and jinxes could have unpleasant side-effects, Lily," she said. "Nah, I'm fine, Andromeda fixed me, she's so wonderful! And so beautiful, too," she added dreamily, after a pause. Liz rolled her eyes as Marlene and Mary laughed.

Just then, the portrait hole opened again, and Potter and Black entered, roaring with laughter. Lily rolled her eyes at the familiar sight of Peter Pettigrew walking slightly behind them, laughing as well, but she didn't miss the worshipful admiration on his face; it was obvious that he idolized them, and he loved to be part of what he clearly thought was the 'cool' crowd. She took a deep breath and stood up.

"Hey – Black!" she called as the three boys passed them. They stopped and Black turned to her. "What? Done memorizing books for the day, Evans?" They laughed, and she flushed crimson. She could hear Mary and Marlene giggling as well, and Liz smiled slightly. "Idiot," she said, and walked over to them.

"So – do all Blacks have dark hair and grey eyes?" she asked him curiously. He smiled and nodded, adding, "And great looks as well!" Potter snorted behind them, and Peter laughed. "All Blacks are narcissistic, too," said Potter mischievously, and Black looked at him, irritated. "That's not true! Only a few of my cousins are like that – and one of them is appropriately named, too, I might add," he said, a note of disdain in his voice, and the other two boys dissolved with laughter.

"Speaking of your – uh – cousins, I met one of them today," said Lily. Black looked at her, and his eyes hardened. "You met Narcissa? What happened? What did she say to you? Did she do anything to you?" he asked aggressively. Lily took a step back and held up her hands. "Calm down, Black," she said, "And no, it wasn't – uh – Narcissa," she said awkwardly. _That name really is a mouthful_ , she thought. "It was Andromeda, the Head Girl," she said, and his eyes softened.

"Yeah, she's my favourite cousin," he said. "Why'd you meet her?" he asked, suspiciously.

Lily hesitated before answering, "Well, I got into a bit of trouble –," but she was interrupted by Potter, who let out a disbelieving snort. "What rubbish!" he said, "Ickle, rule-following Evans in _trouble_? Blimey, how is such a thing even _possible_?" He laughed, as did the other boys. Lily glared at him.

"If only you'd hear me out, you prat," she snapped, "I'll tell you." Potter quietened down at once. She continued, "I lost my way while returning from the library, and I ran into a couple of unfriendly Slytherins, who called me a Mudblood, jinxed me, and would've done worse until your cousin, who was passing by, rescued me." Her words came out in a rush, and the three boys were no longer laughing. Peter's expression was apprehensive, but Potter and Black looked absolutely furious.

"Who were they?" said Potter, his voice laced with anger. She looked at him, surprised. "I don't know," she said, considering, "But –," she turned to Black, "—Andromeda took points off of them, fixed me up and escorted me back here. She was very nice to me, too. She did say you're a – a berk, though," she said, turning pink. Black smiled in spite of himself. "That sounds about right. Yes, she's a good person, she doesn't believe in that blood purity nonsense," he said, and she was relieved to see that he didn't look furious anymore. "Nor do any of us –," he indicated him and the other two – "But Narcissa does… She's here too, in fifth year, and she's a _Prefect_ ," he said scathingly, before adding, "And she's going out with someone called Lucius Malfoy – Andromeda reckons he's a real git, but he's a Prefect too, and he shares Cousin Cissy's views. He's one year below Andromeda," he explained to Lily, who nodded, noting the information.

"Yes, well – Andromeda told me that I shouldn't pay any heed to them, that I was in no way inferior to them," she said conversationally. Black nodded, and Potter said, "She's right. You're just as good as the rest of us, and superior to those – those gits!" he exclaimed, his fists clenched. She went pink again, gratified that the two boys were indignant on her behalf.

"Yeah, James is right, you're better than them," said Peter, and she looked at him, surprised; she was amused to see that he had spoken in her presence. He turned pink too but smiled at her – a little shyly, she thought. She smiled back at him, and his blush deepened.

"Well, anyway," she said, turning back to Black, "Tell her thanks from me. She has my eternal gratitude, for she's reinforced my belief that _some_ Slytherins can be nice people too." Black nodded and smiled, but Potter asked shrewdly, "Do you mean _Snivellus_ , by any chance, Evans?" She looked at him with mounting dislike. _I don't like his tone_ , she thought.

"It's _Severus_ ," she snapped, "And yeah, he's a good person too, you know. Maybe _you_ should give him a chance." Potter and Black seemed cowed by her glare, and Peter was silent once again, so she waved at them sardonically before returning to her friends.

It was only later that night that the truth of Liz's words hit her. Her friend had said that most of the Slytherins were blood purity maniacs. Lily couldn't help but feel that the rest of them were like those two she'd been victimized by, but she also realised one thing… If there were people like Andromeda and Severus in Slytherin, there may be others like them too… She fell asleep, a peaceful smile on her face.

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"Whew, that was an interesting lesson," said Lily as they walked out of the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick had taught them the Levitation Charm, and she'd been able to perform it on the feather in front of her on her first try. She had tried not to look too smug as she saw Potter and Black look at her with identical expressions of disbelief, and Liz, who had been partnering her, had been reduced to silent laughter on seeing their faces. Potter had just been able to levitate the feather five minutes before the class ended, and from what she'd seen, Mark and Peter hadn't managed to move their feathers at all.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Lily – why do you make everything a competition between you and Potter?" Lily looked at her indignantly. "I most certainly do _not_!" she said, but her cheeks flushed slightly, giving her away. Marlene laughed and said, "Yeah, you do. Now come on, Defence Against the Dark Arts." Liz and Lily followed her and Mary to the DADA classroom.

"Wow, that Hallowe'en feast was amazing," said Mary, "I can still feel the taste of that food on my tongue!" The others laughed and Liz said, "Mary, that feast was ten days ago, for heaven's sake… It's the next weekend now!" Lily remembered the feast too; it had certainly been a wonderful experience, with the live bats, carved pumpkins, the decorations, the entertainment by the ghosts, and finally, the food. She quickly focused on what Liz was saying.

"—and the first match in always played on the second weekend of November…It's always Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" The others nodded, and Lily realized that they were talking about Quidditch. _Great_ , she thought, _I don't even know the rules of this game_.

As if reading her mind, Liz turned to her and asked, "You know the rules of Quidditch, don't you?"

Lily blushed. "Er – no," she said, and added a quick "Sorry!" on seeing the other girls' expressions of shock. "You _don't_ know the rules?" asked Liz incredulously. Turning to the others, she asked, " _How_ did we forget to educate her about Quidditch?" Lily's blush deepened. She had been like this from a very young age; she strived to gain as much knowledge she could, and she positively hated it when her ignorance about something was exposed.

Liz was talking again. "Well, this calls for drastic measures. We need to tell her about Quidditch before tomorrow's game!"

"How about we meet the boys after dinner, and educate her together?" suggested Marlene, and Liz brightened at once. "That's a good idea, let's do it!" And without so much as discussing this plan with Lily, they all sped off to class.

After dinner that evening, the four girls and four boys sat in a circle in the common room.

"Right, so – Quidditch," said Liz. "First things first. It's a game played on broomsticks – everyone flies as they play." Potter rolled his eyes and said, "Way to state the obvious, Huntington." Liz glared at him, and shooting her a cocky grin in response, he continued, "It's the _best_ game in the world, and it's really easy to understand. There's seven players in each team. There's four balls in the game – the first is the Quaffle, the biggest, red ball – it is used to score."

"There are three goalposts on either side of the pitch – thirty, forty and fifty feet high – and getting the Quaffle through the one of the goalposts earns your team ten points," said Black as he mimed throwing the big ball. She smiled slightly.

"Three of the seven players are called Chasers," interjected Marlene, "And their job is to score with the Quaffle. Every team has one Keeper, too – the Keeper defends the goalposts. Got all that?"

"Yeah, I think so," she said uncertainly, "Three Chasers attempt to score with the Quaffle, and the Keeper defends the goalposts against them. So – that's like football on bromsticks, right?" Getting a number of confused looks, she said quickly, "Never mind. Continue."

"Right, so two of the other balls are called Bludgers. They're black, heavy, and only slightly smaller than the Quaffle. Oh, and they're identical," said Mary.

"The Bludgers rocket around trying to hit as many players as possible. That's why, there are two Beaters on each team," said Marlene, "The Beaters protect their teammates from the Bludgers, while hitting the Bludgers with their bats – yes, they each have a bat – to players from the opposing team."

"And the last player is the Seeker – his job is to catch the fourth ball, the Golden Snitch – which is difficult, very difficult, because it's tiny and fast and really hard to see," said Liz. "The Seeker who catches the Snitch earns an extra hundred and fifty points to his team, and that is when the game ends."

"Is that the only way to end the game? By catching this – this Snitch?" asked Lily, astounded. The others nodded. "Games have been known to last for as long as five days," said Remus, speaking for the first time. "Though that hasn't yet happened at Hogwarts," he added quickly, and Lily was relieved. "Right, that's it, really," said Liz enthusiastically. "Think you've got it?"

"Yeah, I think so. Three Chasers attempt to score with the Quaffle, and the Keeper defends the goalposts against them – two Beaters defend their teammates and attack the opposing team with two Bludgers – and the Seeker catches the Snitch and doesn't bother about the rest of the game," said Lily. She felt proud that she had grasped the game so fast.

"Hear, hear," said Black enthusiastically, and Peter laughed. "Never underestimate Evans's retention ability –," said Potter, and Lily glowed at the unexpected compliment, "—for her life's ambition is to be a massive, insufferable know-it-all!" The other boys laughed, and Lily's grin faded. "I'm _not_ a know-it-all," she said hotly, and stood up. "See you at the game." She quickly exited to her dormitory, her cheeks flaming. She didn't like the fact that that idiotic boy, James Potter, could rile her up so quickly and easily.

 _Idiot_ , she thought, fuming, as she slept off a few hours later, _idiot_ …

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At eleven o' clock, Lily was climbing into the stands of the Quidditch pitch, along with the rest of the school. Liz was chatting enthusiastically with Potter and Black, while Marlene added a few things here and there; Mary followed them, with Peter and Remus in tow. Mark and Jane, true to habit, waved to them once before engaging each other in conversation.

"You'd think they were a couple!" whispered Liz, indicating Mark and Jane, "He never leaves her side, carries her books and everything. They should really talk to other people once in a while, you know," she said, a little loftily. "Come on, it's their choice," said Lily, and patted Liz's hand. Liz shrugged, and they all sat down.

"Brandon Smith is commentating," said Potter, making a face. "He's a real git, like the rest of his Housemates." Black clapped a hand on his back and said, "What more do you expect from the Slytherins, James, old fellow?" But before Potter would reply, the boy in question made his voice heard.

"Hello and welcome to the first game of this year's Hogwarts Quidditch Cup! The first match of the season, between Slytherin and Gryffindor, will kick off momentarily…"

A short boy with black hair was holding a megaphone in his hand, looking around as he spoke from his own box in the stands. "That's a Magical Megaphone," said Liz to Lily, "It magnifies the voice ten times over, Smith doesn't even have to shout." Lily nodded.

"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by captain and Keeper Graham Osborne!" shouted Smith enthusiastically, "Flint, Greengrass, Everett, Addison, Croft, aaaaaannnd – Malfoy!" The Slytherins cheered and clapped, and Potter and Black booed. Black leaned over to her. "Malfoy – their Seeker – _that's_ the one going out with Cousin Cissy," he said. "Looks like a prat, doesn't he?" He indicated the tall, pale-faced boy with white-blond hair, and smirked. Lily noted that the rest of the Slytherin team were bigger than Malfoy, and that there was only one girl on their team, the one called Addison. She, too, was huge, and had a nasty smile on her face as she brandished her Beater's bat. Lily shuddered.

"The Gryffindor Chasers are Diane Goodwin, Frank Longbottom and Annie Shaw," supplied Marlene. "They're all in fifth year – well, Goodwin is in seventh, I think." She paused, considering. "Yeah, definitely seventh. Julie Perkins – our Seeker – is a fifth year too, and Jeremy Lawson is our Keeper. He's a sixth year."

" _Fifth_ year, McKinnon," corrected Potter immediately before continuing, "Fabian and Gideon Prewett – yes, they're twins – they're the Beaters. They're fourth years, and great pranksters, too – really funny," he said enthusiastically. "When they'd come to our house a couple of years ago, they accidentally turned our kitchen blue." He smiled widely at the memory. "I remember Molly – their elder sister – whacking them with Fab's broomstick – she was really angry – but that was before she got pregnant, of course. She has a one-year-old now, called – uh, what was it again? Yes, William." Black nodded to verify that this was indeed correct. Lily's mind was reeling. "How _do_ you know all these people?" She asked Potter and Marlene, but before they could answer, Smith was speaking again.

"And here are their – _un_ worthy opponents, Gryffindor House," said Smith, drawing laughs and jeers from the crowd. "Longbottom, Lawson, Perkins, Shaw, Prewett, Prewett – led by captain Diane Goodwin! With the team she's put together this year, I wonder why the Gryffindors are even bothering to play!" More jeers came from the Slytherins, and next to her Black and Potter looked furious, as did the rest of her friends. "Told you he was a git," said Potter with gritted teeth. Lily privately agreed.

Madam Hooch launched the Bludgers and the Snitch, threw the Quaffle in the air, and blew her whistle. At that, fourteen figures kicked off from the ground, amid massive cheers from the crowd. Lily could hear every word of Smith's commentary very easily.

"They're off, and it is Goodwin with the Quaffle immediately – she's streaking towards the goalposts – no, she's dropped it after nearly being hit by a Bludger from Addison, and she's got _Git_ Prewett to thank – or _Fat_ , I think it is – oh, never mind," he said, and the crowd laughed; Smith was deliberately mispronouncing the Prewett twins' nicknames to ruder versions. Potter hissed angrily.

"And now it's Greengrass with the Quaffle – moving in from the left, passes to Flint, who's in the centre, but it's been intercepted, and now it's Longbottom who's moving forward with the Quaffle – he's dodged Croft, he's dodged Flint too – dodges a Bludger from Everett before passing to Goodwin – and Goodwin moves to the tallest goalposts, she SHOOTS – no, she's feinted – she's passed to Shaw, who –," Smith swore, "—scores, ten-zero to Gryffindor."

Lily clapped along happily with the others as Annie Shaw punched the air in celebration. "Nice feint!" said Liz, clearly impressed. Within seconds, the game resumed.

"And now it's Flint with the Quaffle! Come on, Artus – left flank's open! Flint moves on to the left – passes to Croft, who's in the centre – now Flint again, just trying to find a way past Goodwin – and Goodwin's got the Quaffle now – bets a Bludger in the back – nice shot, Everett, and Goodwin's dropped the Quaffle – didn't do much with it anyway, and here's Greengrass now – Greengrass flies higher, then towards the left –Prewett's sent a Bludger at him, but he's dodged it – Greengrass going towards the goalposts, moving in for the kill – HE SHOOTS – and – it's been saved by Lawson – well he just got lucky, and Lawson has passed it to Longbottom, who gets underway – Longbottom through the centre, dodges both Bludgers, moves in to the Keeper – here's what you shouldn't do, flying solo like that – and he's passed it to Goodwin, who – ahh – scores, it's twenty-zero to Gryffindor."

With half an hour of the game gone, it became clear to Lily that the Gryffindor Chasers were vastly superior to their Slytherin counterparts. True, Diane Goodwin had scored five of their nine goals, but she and Shaw and Longbottom worked seamlessly with each other, and maintained possession of the Quaffle for more than half the time. At the other end of the pitch, Jeremy Lawson had made some excellent saves, but he'd let in two goals rather softly. Lily tried to tune out Marlene, Black and Potter cursing at Lawson's poor attempt to block the latest Quaffle thrown at him; beside her, Liz was sitting with rapt attention, her eyes following Annie Shaw as she streaked ahead with the Quaffle.

"Gryffindor lead ninety to twenty, and here's Shaw moving forward yet again – through the right this time, as she passes to Longbottom – WHAM! – nicely hit by Everett, and Longbottom drops the Quaffle – that's the seventh time he's done that, a real butter-fingers, that one – and oh my, just look at the two Seekers – they've spotted the Snitch!"

The crowd let out a collective gasp as Julie Perkins dived towards the ground, with Malfoy almost neck-to-neck with her. Whatever happened next happened so fast that Lily didn't catch it, but a roar of outrage from the Gryffindor supporters told her that it had been a foul.

"It's a foul, Madam Hooch had blown her whistle – it seems like Malfoy punched Perkins in the face – highly debatable, of course, but play resumes as Madam Hooch gives Gryffindor a penalty, to be taken by – surprise, surprise, Goodwin herself – someone should tell her that it's a team game, she should give a chance to others for once, but here she is – and – she's scored. Hundred-twenty to Gryffindor," he finished, sounding morose. Lily cheered loudly along with Liz and the others.

"And the Seekers are at it again! Perkins and Malfoy move neck-to-neck one more time – they're diving – getting close to the ground here – and Malfoy's pulled out of the dive, has he got the Snitch? No! But Perkins is about ten feet from the ground now, and she's righted her broom – and she's caught the Snitch. It's a victory for Gryffindor, two hundred and fifty points to twenty!"

But the rest of his words were drowned by a massive uproar from the Gryffindor supporters, who were shouting and cheering with great gusto. "We won! We won!" shrieked Liz, and hugged Lily, who hugged her back happily; it had certainly been an exciting match. She exchanged overhead claps with Black and Potter, who were beside themselves with glee; Peter, Marlene and Mary were clapping as well, and the normally-composed Remus too had a smile on his face. The team landed on the ground, all of them looking a bit worse for wear – Diane Goodwin was hastily rubbing her elbow where the Bludger had hit her, Julie Perkins was nursing a bloodied lip and Frank Longbottom had a black eye, but they were all smiling and waving jubilantly at their supporters.

 _It's certainly an exciting Wizarding game_ , thought Lily, smiling to herself. _But I think I like Exploding Snap better_ …

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Author's Note: There you go, Lily's first Quidditch match! Please read and review! Cheers!


	7. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews, Light Black and abhishekbjoshi. Here is chapter six. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Six**

" **We only jinxed him because he's a git!"**

It was a cold and snowy Friday evening in late January when Lily walked along with Severus near the Quidditch pitch. The rest of the Gryffindor first-years (with the exception of Mark and Jane) had just participated in a snowball fight, and were now (probably) cooling off in front of the common room fire. She hadn't joined them, preferring to spend her time walking with Severus; they were warm and comfortable, thanks to a quick warming spell he had performed (" _Calesco!_ ") around the both of them.

"You're preoccupied," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly as he looked at her. She gave him a small smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of," he said, smirking slightly, his eyes mischievous. "I mean, you didn't comment on what Professor Slughorn taught us in our last class, and you and I both know how much you like to talk about Potions…"

"Shut up," she said, but there was a smile on her face. He said a little seriously, "Anyway, tell me… What's on your mind?"

She hesitated before saying, "Well, it's just… I didn't really have a good Christmas."

"Oh," said Severus. "Er – would you like to talk about it?" he asked, a little nervously.

"Umm – OK," said she, considering. "But what about the Antidote to Common Poisons?"

"That's fine," he said, waving his hand slightly. "You're clearly too distracted to discuss it, anyway, so why don't you tell me what happened?"

She paused again. "Well… There's not so much to tell, really," she said. "Except that I'd invited Liz over for the last week of the holidays, and it didn't go so well."

"Yes, I know, I came over a couple times, remember?" he said, a little impatiently. She rolled her eyes.

"You don't know half of what happened," said Lily. "You only came over for dinner twice. The entire week Liz was there, Petunia kept referring to us as freaks, never spoke one civil word to us, and never stayed with us in the same room for longer than it took to glower at us. It was embarrassing for Mum and Dad, too – but nice people that they are, they always made Liz comfortable by asking her a number of questions about the Wizarding world, questions that she was only too happy to answer. She even told them about Quidditch, and wow – were they _interested_." She rolled her eyes again, and he smiled.

"But – during Christmas, Petunia was very unkind," she grimaced at the memory. "I know she's jealous, Sev – but there isn't anything I can do about it, is there?"

"Erm – not really, no," he said awkwardly. Wanting to change the subject, he asked her, "So – how are you finding the other Gryffindors? They're not giving you any trouble, are they?"

"Nope," she said. "Liz is my best friend, and she was really nice about the whole Petunia thing. She's very tough and not afraid to say what she thinks, too – sort of a person you want on your side, really. And Marlene and Mary are inseparable, but the four of us generally stick together. Potter and Black, however –," she snorted, "—are prats, really… But everyone thinks they're really funny – myself excluded," she added quickly, catching his eye. She saw the loathing in his eyes, and felt surprised at the intensity of the emotion underneath his cool and calm exterior. Really, why does he hate them so much? _They're just immature… Not worth hating over_ , she thought. She continued, "That Pettigrew keeps flowing them around like some kind of puppy-dog, though. He is all right, I guess. But Remus – he's started bumming around with those two as well, recently, and personally – well, I think it's bad. I mean, Remus is really nice. He is quiet, but he pays attention in class, and he is really intelligent, too. He doesn't play the fool like Potter and Black…" Seeing the look on his face, she ploughed on quickly, "And there's Mark and Jane. They both do everything together, and hardly leave each other's side. They don't really mix with the rest of us, but they're pleasant enough. That's it, really," she said, blushing slightly; she'd just realized that she'd been rambling along for quite a while.

"That's good – looks like you're having a good time, even if you're in Gryffindor," he said, smirking a little. She looked at him, slightly irritated. "What do you have against Gryffindor?" she asked him. He blushed slightly.

"Nothing, really," was all he said, though. She snorted slightly but didn't say anything.

"So why didn't you join in their snowball fight?" he asked her as they made their way back to the castle; it was getting darker and colder. "Are you scared of the cold, harmless powder?" He smirked, and she punched him lightly on the arm. "Ha ha," she said in a bored voice. An idea came to her, and she grinned – a rather mischievous grin, really. "What about you, don't you like the snow?" she asked, and he shook his head. "No, it's too cold – and wet," he said.

She grinned wickedly. "Well, then – I'm only going to regret this slightly," she said. He had no time to react as she lifted a handful of snow and threw it directly in his face. "Ughh," he gave a muffled splutter. "That – is for your slight about Gryffindor!" she yelled mock angrily, and her best friend stood there spluttering something unintelligible as she broke into a sprint towards the castle, laughing loudly.

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The next night, she was sitting in the library again – with Liz this time. Professor McGonagall had started with a new topic – Switching – that week, and Lily was having trouble remembering the exact theory as she struggled to write her essay. Beside her, Liz looked up.

"Finished," she said, keeping her quill down, "How're you doing?"

"Badly," said Lily, feeling a little frustrated. "I don't understand – what exactly is the point of a Switching Spell?"

Liz bent over Lily's half-finished essay. "Well – your definition is a bit incomplete, your examples are wrong, and you really need to expound more on its benefits."

"Thanks a lot," said Lily moodily.

"Sorry," said Liz, grinning, "I'm just telling you the truth." She had the grace to look slightly ashamed, but her eyes glinted with amusement.

"I'm not really so good at Transfiguration," groaned Lily. Liz smiled sympathetically.

"Let me see," she said. She took Lily's essay, read through it once before giving it back. "I'll help you," she offered. "What do you think a Switching Spell is?"

Lily pondered. "Well – it's like transfiguration, but not exactly – you exchange two features of two objects for each other, right?"

Liz grinned. "Close enough, but like I said, it's incomplete. Now, answer me this – if I have a match and a needle, and I make the needle all pointy and the match all blunt, is that a Switching Spell?"

Lily thought. "Yes," she answered, "Because the needle's pointiness – one of its features – now belongs to the match."

Liz shook her head. "Nah, that's not correct, Lily." Lily's face fell, but Liz continued, "But if the eye of a needle and the head of a match are exchanged, is that a Switching Spell?"

Lily thought for a minute this time, before finally answering, "Yes. Well – I think so."

Liz smiled. "Yeah, that's right. So why don't you think about it, and tell me – what is different in the two examples?"

Lily thought hard, her face screwed up in concentration. Then it hit her.

"I've got it! The second example is correct because the _physical_ features – such as the needle eye and match head – are Switched! And in the first case – pointiness is more of a property of the needle; it is more abstract, so it isn't a Switching spell!"

Liz smiled wider. "You've got it, Lil!" Lily beamed.

"Thanks! That helped… Now I'll get back to my essay," she said. Liz nodded. "I'll make a start for Flitwick's essay now… And remember, we only have an hour before curfew…"

"Yes, I'll just finish this, and then we can leave," said Lily, slightly flustered; she hurriedly began to write her essay on a fresh roll of parchment.

Fifteen minutes later, she was re-reading her finished essay.

 _Switching is a sub-branch of Transfiguration and a form of transformation. It is the art of magically exchanging physical features between two targets. Switching greatly resembles general transformation, but with two main differences: firstly, the features of the two targets are switched simultaneously; secondly, the change in one of the pair is dependent on a change in the other._

 _The history of the Switching Spells is sketchy, but various sources agree upon the fact that the earliest use of switching spells was in the 6_ _th_ _century A.D. by Morgana le Fay, when she switched her own hair for tree-branches as she attempted to overhear a conversation between Merlin and King Arthur. Since then, the spell gained popularity, and in present day, it has evolved into one of the main branches of Transfiguration. An accomplished performer of the Switching Spell is Emeric Switch (circa 10_ _th_ _century A.D.), after whom the Spell is said to be named._

 _There are various examples of Switching spells; for example, Switching the tails of a scorpion and a lion would leave the scorpion with a bushy tail and the lion with a stinger. Another example is to Switch the lungs of a human with the gills of a fish in order to breathe underwater._

She looked up from the parchment, satisfied. She was sure that she'd done a good job, and she mentally thanked Liz once again. "Shall we go?" she asked Liz, who looked up from her Charms textbook. "Sure," said her friend, "I was too bored to study anyway, so I just tried to cast the Switching Spell to make this book have black pages and white-brown writing." She pointed to the fat book in front of her. "Nothing happened," she said, and Lily laughed.

"C'mon," said Liz, and Lily gathered her things and followed her out of the library. They still had about half an hour before curfew, but they picked up their pace as they headed to Gryffindor tower. They didn't want to get caught out of bounds after hours.

She turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Liz collided into her as she turned and found Lily just standing there. Lily watched as a familiar boy stood with his back to her, facing two others who had their wands out. There was no mistaking that greasy hair of the boy standing with his back to her. It was Severus. She looked ahead at the other two boys; with a jolt, she recognized Potter and Black.

" _Vomolimax!_ " shouted Potter. She recoiled as a jet of green light hit Snape, and he fell to his knees. "Severus!" she shouted, and rushed forward. Ignoring Potter and Black, she bent down on her knees, too, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you OK?" she asked worriedly. Liz came up and stood behind her silently.

Severus looked like he was going to be sick. With a small burp, he opened his mouth… And belched up a slimy green slug! She recoiled, horrified… What had they done to him? Heart in mouth, she tried to tap his back, but it was of no use; he kept vomiting slugs without showing any signs of stopping.

She stood up in rage. Potter and Black were laughing uproariously. She rounded on them at once.

"You idiots! What have you done?"

Black said, "Relax, Evans, it's only temporary; won't last more than ten minutes. Be fun to watch it till then, though…" He grinned wickedly. Potter guffawed again and said, "Vomit away, Snivellus… Maybe that slime will help with your hair!"

Lily's anger exploded. "You bullies! You're no better than those Slytherin boys who tortured me back in October!"

Potter and Black looked at her in shock. "But Evans – those two were cruel to you because you're – well – a Muggle-born," said Potter uncertainly. "I mean, we only jinxed him because he's a git." He shrugged and laughed, and Black said, "There's a difference, see?"

She opened her mouth to argue angrily, but Liz put a hand on hers. Behind them, Severus spat out slugs pathetically. "Two against one, boys… Really? I don't think that's the way Gryffindors do things."

They looked at her, and Lily could read guilt on their faces. "Yeah, well – you see, Hunt, he's a git and he's a Slytherin, so we're doing our duty to Gryffindor…" Potter's voice faded as he quailed under Liz's cold stare.

"He is NOT a git!" shouted Lily furiously. Liz tapped her hand again, as if to indicate that she could handle this.

"Go. Now," she commanded, and Black and Potter quickly turned on their heel and ran off. Clearly, they had been cowed by Liz.

Lily placed a hand on Severus's shoulder. "Severus?" she asked gently. He was shaking with rage, and he spat out two, very small slugs. The spell seemed to be wearing off. He got to his feet unsteadily. "They hexed me," he said, his eyes alight with fury, "They will pay!"

"Do you need Hospital Wing?" she asked. He shook her off rather roughly. "No," he said, and began to stalk off, presumably to his common room or to a teacher. Lily followed him with her eyes sadly. She knew that he was best left alone when he was in a rage. Then, to her surprise, he paused at the end of the corridor. He turned and said, "Thank you, Lily." As an afterthought, he added grudgingly, "Thanks, Huntington." Liz nodded beside her, and he said, "See you in class," before leaving.

"Those horrid prats!" said Lily angrily as she and Liz made her way back to her common room. "I'm going to report them to Professor McGonagall!"

"Hey, come on, Lil," said Liz gently. "You don't need to get upset over them. They're just a bit immature, and they were only having a bit of fun, see? No harm done to anybody…"

"Yeah? Well, try telling that to Sev and the twenty-odd slugs lying in that corridor!" said Lily, with an uncharacteristic sneer. To her great surprise, Liz remained calm. "Come on, Lily – Snape can take care of himself, and if he thinks he should complain, he will… You don't have to do it for him!"

Lily disagreed, but a part of her knew that it was true; after all, Severus would certainly tell a teacher if he wanted to. Liz was right, she didn't have to interfere. "That was very – er – _cool_ of you, you know," she said awkwardly. "The way you told them off, and the way you stood up for Severus, even if he isn't your friend…"

Liz grinned. "That may be, and I may be prejudiced against the Slytherins, but he is your friend, and you're my friend, and I trust your judgement… So I can put up with him so long as he doesn't act like a knob."

Lily smiled a genuine smile. For the umpteenth time, she considered herself lucky to be Liz's friend. Liz was street-smart and outspoken. She was never afraid to say what came to her mind, and she had a way with words… She was good with her academics, too, considering that she was the only person who could match Potter and Black in their Transfiguration class… She grudgingly admitted to herself that Potter and Black were excellent at Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts… Liz and Remus were almost as good as they were, but not quite… But Liz helped her with Transfiguration all the time, and she was thankful for that, considering that she wanted to do well in Professor McGonagall's class, especially because she'd been so nice to her during the previous summer, taking her shopping and all…

"Lil?"

She snapped out of her reverie to find Liz staring at her quizzically. "Sorry, I was kind of thinking," she said apologetically. "Did you say something?"

Liz laughed. "Actually, I was wondering how you and Snape became friends. I'm sure there's a reason, but I've always been curious… You see, the Slytherins don't really have friends in other Houses. They keep to themselves, and are a bit unpleasant, which is why nobody really bothers to befriend them…"

"Well, Sev was the first person to tell me that I was a witch. Then he told me a lot about the Wizarding world. It was fascinating to hear that, see? And besides… I kind of felt a little sorry for him. You see, his parents don't get along… Then he's poor, too, and has to make do with second-hand clothes and stuff…" She trailed off before facing Liz and saying, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, he isn't so bad once you get to know him."

"Well, I guess not," said Liz after a pause. "Maybe he will defy the typical Slytherin stereotype, who knows? He doesn't say much, does he?" Lily nodded. "He's the silent, brooding type… But he's hardworking, I'll give him that… And he's brilliant with Potions, even better than you are!" Lily looked at her in mock indignation. "Hey!" Liz grinned mischievously. "OK, OK… I'm just kidding… I guess I was always surprised that he's still your friend… After all, Slytherins and Gryffindors dislike each other on principle…"

"I've always wondered why that was," said Lily pensively. "I mean, we're on excellent terms with the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs, but the Slytherins, on the whole, can be an unpleasant lot… Well, apart from Sev and Andromeda, that is…" A dreamy expression came over her face as she thought of the beautiful Head Girl who had helped her out, and who always made it a point to stop and chat with her for a few minutes every time they ran into each other. The other girls had looked on enviously as Lily chatted freely with the Head Girl, but they'd been amused when Andromeda had teasingly told Sirius Black to quit being a 'cocky little berk' just because he was good at Transfiguration. She remembered Black's mock-hurt expression, and laughed inwardly.

Liz rolled her eyes. "I know, I know… You love the Head Girl…" Lily went pink. "I do _not_!" she said, but Liz wagged her finger and laughed. "I just happen to think that Andromeda Black is wonderful… And a rare pleasant Slytherin!" she said, hastily trying to bring the conversation back to topic. To her relied, it worked.

"Yeah, and speaking of pleasant Slytherins, that Ashley Bond – she seems OK to me, too," said Liz. Lily looked at her incredulously. "You have a Slytherin friend!" she teased, and it was Liz's turn to go pink. "Well – you left me in the lurch in our first Potions class, partnering off with Snape…" Lily flushed a bit guiltily; it was true. She had been so excited to be able to partner her friend that she'd kind of ignored Liz. "Sorry," she said softly, but Liz waved a hand impatiently. "I'm not accusing you of ditching me, you idiot – though that would be kind of funny," she grinned wickedly. "Anyway – after you left me in the lurch, I just sat next to a girl who turned out to be Ashley Bond… And well, she seems OK."

Lily remembered Ashley Bond, the silent, petite girl with black hair and brown eyes from her Potions class. Liz worked with Ashley in Potions, and two months into the term, Lily had been relieved to see Liz and Ashley talking pleasantly to each other. "See? I told you the Slytherins aren't all bad," she said, smiling. Liz nodded. "Yeah, yeah… You've told me that at least twenty times. Actually, I think Bond may be friends with me because I'm a pure-blood, and her parents may have told her to mix with pure-bloods," she added slyly. Then seeing a look of dismay on Lily's face, she added quickly, "Come on, relax… I'm only joking. I don't think she believes that blood purity rubbish, because just yesterday, she was asking me how you're so good at Potions without having lived in a magical environment before Hogwarts… She was even considering asking you for help the next time she was having difficulties, see?"

Lily brightened up immediately. "See, it's true! Not all Slytherins –,"

But Liz cut her off. "I know, Lil," she said, rolling her eyes.

They had nearly reached their common room, when a movement caught their eye. A figure was moving ahead of them, and when he looked sideways furtively to see if anyone was watching him before he turned a corner, Lily recognized him. With a rush of hatred, she realized that it was Travers, one of the fifth-year boys who had been so cruel to her.

"Well, that's one of the bad Slytherins," she said to Liz softly. Liz raised her eyebrows. "Where do you think he's going? What do you think he's doing?"

"No idea," said Lily, "But I'm sure he's up to no good…" Liz stood silently for a moment, as if debating something; suddenly, she turned to Lily. "Come on, let's follow him!" she said. "Are you insane? It's almost past curfew! What if we get caught?"

"Come on – where is your Gryffindor courage? Don't tell me you're scared," said Liz, a little mockingly. "Of course not," said Lily. "I just think it's a stupid idea, wandering around in the dark like that."

But Liz was already setting off behind Travers. With a sigh, Lily followed. Stealthily and silently, they trailed behind the tall and hulking Slytherin as he made his way to the sixth floor. Liz and Lily kept a safe distance between them and Travers; they didn't want to be jinxed by the unfriendly Slytherin.

Travers turned a corner, and the two girls followed with some trepidation. A surprising sight met their eyes; Travers was gone. There was no one in the corridor ahead of them. It was absolutely empty except for the two of them. It was as if Travers had vanished into thin air. Lily's curious instinct kicked in. "Come on – let's check it out," she said. However, this time it was Liz who was more cautious.

"No, Lil… I don't think investigating now is such a good idea. Where did he go? He could be here, for all we know, and there could be an ambush! Come on – let's go back to Gryffindor tower… We'll try to figure out what he was doing whilst sitting safely in the common room." Lily didn't budge, and Liz said, "Unless you want to be caught again by those horrid boys?" There was too much truth in that statement to ignore, and Lily promptly followed Liz, who had set off at a frenetic pace.

"We could trail him properly, you know… See what he's up to. And there are special spells for concealment… I remember Professor Flitwick mentioning them in class…" She turned to Liz, suddenly excited. "How about we try to learn that spell, and then follow him?" Liz's face lit up with an excited grin to match her own. "Hey – now you're talking! Good thinking, Lil… Let's find out what he's up to!"

 _I'm still not sure this is such a good idea_ , she thought as they entered the common room. _But it'll be good to get him punished for something, especially after what he did to me…_

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	8. Chapter 7

Hi guys… Please read and review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Memorable Birthday**

Lily sat at her table early on Saturday morning. The snow fell lightly outside the window, and it was still dark. The other girls were still asleep, and she decided to take this opportunity to write a letter to her parents. It was overdue; she had written to them last two weeks ago. It had been her birthday the previous day, and she hadn't even written to them to thank them for their presents. She took out a fresh roll of parchment, and selected her best quill; her eyes went over to the red sweater her mother had knitted for her, and the new quill-keeper that stood next to it. _How thoughtful of them_ , she thought. _Mum loves to knit, and Daddy must have spent so much time on that quill-keeper… It even has a blotting cotton to take care of the ink left on the quill_ … A content smile on her face, she began to write.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _Thank you, thank you so much for the birthday presents! It was_ so _wonderful of you to send me the jumper, and the quill-keeper… It's on my table now, Daddy, and I'm using it every day. It was so thoughtful of you to add the cotton at the base of each quill-hole, now I don't have to worry about dry ink and ink spilling everywhere! And Mum, that jumper fits me wonderfully. It's so warm and comfortable! I'm wearing it all day, and it's just the perfect shade of scarlet which depicts Gryffindor!_

 _You have no idea how great it felt to open your presents. It is my first birthday away from home, and I was missing you all so much, but the jumper and quill-keeper cheered me up a lot. Well, that and other things… It was a rather interesting birthday, you know. Well, interesting doesn't even begin to cover it…_

XXXXX

"Lily – wake up! It's your birthday!" sang Liz as she whipped the bed covers off of her. Lily looked up blearily; it was six in the morning. It was Friday, and she knew that her first class was at ten o' clock. She normally slept late on Friday, preferring to wake up at eight-thirty… So, at six o' clock, she felt extremely disoriented. She had been snuggled up inside the blanket very comfortably indeed, and she felt cold as soon as Liz had taken the blanket off of her. She sat up quickly.

"Happy birthday!" shouted Liz excitedly, and dragged her out of bed and hugged her enthusiastically. Lily returned the hug, still befuddled and disoriented. "Th – Thanks, Liz!" she said softly. Liz drew back, and Mary hugged her. "Happy birthday!" she said, with nearly as much enthusiasm, and she thanked her too. Marlene, who followed Mary, gave her a quick hug, and her cobalt-blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she wished Lily. Lily smiled back and thanked her. Lastly, Jane shook her hand, and she acknowledged it with a smile.

"Come on – open your present! We chipped in!" said Liz, with almost child-like amusement, and pointed to a medium-sized box. "Wow, you bought me a present! Thank you, thank you all!" she said, her words heavy with gratitude. _It was so thoughtful of them to get me a present_ , she thought happily. Liz snorted and said, "Well, even in the Wizarding world, we do give each other presents on birthdays, you know…" The other girls laughed, and she rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Go on, open it!" said Mary eagerly. Lily smiled, and Marlene said, "Come on, Mary, stop acting like you're the one getting the present!" They all laughed again, and Mary mock-punched Marlene.

Lily reflected upon the strong bond they all shared. On their first night itself, they had carefully noted each other's birthdays, and had decided collectively that they would give each other a nice large present rather than several small ones on birthdays by chipping in. She thought carefully about her friends; Liz, talented, calm and sarcastic; Mary, the eternal dreamer, misty-eyed, optimistic; and Marlene, the realist, level-headed, rational. And there was Jane, a little smug, a little snobbish, but nice overall; best friends with Mark.

She quickly focused on the box in her hand, and began to unwrap it carefully. The others tapped their feet impatiently, until Liz said, "Really, Lily, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards… Why don't you just tear it off?" Lily looked up and said, "This way we can re-use it, Liz." Liz just rolled her eyes at that, and Lily finally unwrapped the box to find a polished, shiny wizarding chess set. She set it down, smiling widely.

"It's wonderful – thanks, thanks so much!" she said happily, and hugged Liz, Marlene and Mary in turn. Jane coughed awkwardly, and handed her a small box. "This one's from me and Mark," she said softly. Lily opened the box with gusto; she smiled widely once again as she held a bottle of enchanted ink that changed colour every time a quill was dipped into it. She hugged Jane and said, "It's wonderful, thanks!" Jane smiled back at her and said, "I hope you'll like it, Lily… After all, I don't know if you knew that such a thing even existed, but for us it's rather commonplace." Behind her, Liz rolled her eyes, and Mary and Marlene stifled their laughter; clearly, Jane was oblivious that she was coming off as a little stuck-up. All the same, Lily said, "No, but we do have pens that have different ink colours." Jane looked nonplussed. "What is a pen?" she asked curiously, and Lily replied quickly, "Never mind." Liz covered up the moment tactfully by saying, "Here's a present from your parents, Lil – open it!"

She spied a large box at the foot of her bed, and stared at it, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was her first birthday away from home, and there was no Daddy to call her Princess and hand her present to her; there was no Mum to give her freshly-baked macaroons, no Petunia (she frowned slightly, remembering her sister's behaviour at Christmas) to give her one of her paintings… She suddenly missed her family, and a small lump rose to her throat. Liz seemed to sense this, and said quickly, "Come on – open it, I'm sure they're missing you as much as you miss them." Feeling a rush of gratitude towards Liz, she smiled at her and unwrapped the box just as carefully as she'd unwrapped the last one.

She pulled out a scarlet jumper and beamed; her mother loved to knit, and she had given Lily a jumper on her tenth birthday that had fit her for more than a year. She quickly pulled it over her, noting how warm and comfortable she felt. She beamed; she was going to wear it every day. She looked inside the box, and found something else; she pulled it out. It looked like a pen-stand, but it had multiple holes of varying sizes, and even a pen couldn't fit into the largest one. She looked at it, confused, until she saw that the holes were lined with cotton… She realized instantly what it was…

"It's a quill-stand!" she said enthusiastically, "It'll house all my quills, the cotton is to absorb ink – oh, what a wonderful present, Daddy! It must have taken him ages to make this!" She knew that her father liked to mess around with tools, and he was indeed a skilled workman. It was a hobby he nurtured enthusiastically, aside from his high-paying job as the head architect for the construction firm he worked at. Liz and the other girls examined the quill-stand with admiring gazes, until Marlene said, "Look, Lily – there's a note in the box too!" She handed Lily a folded piece of paper. Lily opened it with folded hands and read:

 _Dear Princess,_

 _Happy birthday! We love you and we miss you and we wish you were spending your birthday with us. Your friend Liz told us how to get your present to you, make sure to thank her for us!_

 _Hugs and Kisses,_

 _Mum and Dad_

Lily felt her eyes grow moist as she read the note. Her parents were so loving! She missed them terribly. Luckily, Marlene chose that moment to say, "Hey – there's something written on the back, too, Lily!" Quickly, Lily turned the paper over and read:

 _Lily – this is Petunia. I will try not to behave so badly when you and your freak friends are over at our place. You will find your gift from me in the box. Have a happy birthday._

She frowned as she read Petunia's neat, tiny handwriting. _She hadn't actually apologised, but she seems to have realized that her conduct during Christmas was poor_ , thought Lily. _I hope she hasn't given me something bad as a present, like a toothpick or something_ …

She rummaged inside the box until she found something; she took it out. It was a paper lily – white, with a green calyx and stem, slightly crumpled but beautifully made. Lily smiled happily as she examined the lily; it seemed as if Petunia was ready at last to bury the hatchet. "Nice," said Liz, admiringly, "Your sister made that?" Lily nodded. "She's got talent," said Mary, and Lily nodded in agreement. Mary was the most artistic of all the girls.

She set the lily down in her new quill-stand. "Well – thank you so much. All of you. I went to sleep yesterday thinking about how I was going to miss my parents… But you all have made is so memorable!" She hugged them all in turn, and they beamed at her. "It was our pleasure," said Liz warmly.

After breakfast, as she was just about to leave, the Gryffindor first-year boys sauntered into the Great Hall. As soon as they spotted her, they made for her immediately. "Happy birthday, Evans!" Potter yelled, and hugged her; she barely had time to breathe before Black shook her hand enthusiastically and followed suit. Peter only shook her hand shyly and mumbled 'happy birthday' to her. She smiled politely and thanked them; though she was still angry with them for targeting Snape two weeks ago.

"Here – from me, Sirius, and Peter," said Potter, and handed her a small, wrapped box. She thanked them again and unwrapped it eagerly; she opened the box to find a beautiful eagle-feather quill, a shiny white-brown in colour and a sharp point. She smiled admiringly. "This is – well, this is really nice of you – three. Thank you," she said sincerely. The three boys grinned at her. "It's a handwriting quill – it's enchanted to make sure that your handwriting is extremely neat when you use it, when compared to a normal quill, see? We figure – neatness freak that you are, this would come in handy. Anyway – Good luck for that Potions test this afternoon!" said Potter, and Black and Peter nodded in agreement before beginning to stuff their faces with great gusto. Liz rolled her eyes at them, and she laughed.

"Hi, Lily," said a mild voice behind her. She wheeled around to find Remus Lupin standing there, a little nervously. "Happy birthday," he said shyly, and handed her a birthday card; it looked like he'd made it himself. She opened it, and saw that it contained a drawing of a turtle, with the caption: ' _The secret to a long life, just like this turtle – is to breathe in, breathe out – and do so for a billion times! Happy birthday – may you have many more! Remus._ ' She was touched by the message, and she stood up and hugged the brown-haired boy in front of her. "Thanks," she whispered. He smiled uncertainly, waved, and joined the other three boys, who had apparently missed this exchange. She stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and set off towards the Transfiguration classroom, with Liz in tow.

XXXXX

She paused, considering. Nothing of note had happened during the morning; everything had started in the afternoon itself. She continued to write.

 _Anyway, Severus gave me his present, too – he said he wanted to deliver it in person, so he met me after lunch and gave it to me. It was a diary, you know, for me to write in – but that's not all! You see, it is enchanted to shout out reminders, too! He said He'd purchased it in Diagon Alley during the Christmas holidays! He really is such a sweetie, isn't he?_

 _So after lunch, I went in for Potions. I was early, so I just sat down and waited for Professor Slughorn to appear. He was going to give us a test, see? I'd spent most of the week studying for it, and it was going to be really tricky – he said as much. Severus hadn't appeared yet, which was surprising; he's never late. Anyway, about five minutes before the test…_

XXXXX

She took out the quill that the boys had given her and started to examine it. It really was a beautiful quill. Was it really enchanted for wonderfully neat handwriting? Well, the test now seemed like a good time to try it out… She looked up just as Potter and Black entered the Potions dungeon, with Peter hurrying along in their wake. "Hey – you should use that for today's test!" said Black, indicating the quill. "Not that you need it, of course…" he continued, and she blushed slightly; she was beginning to feel that her need for neatness was not much of a secret anymore. "Yeah, Sirius is right, you should activate the quill, you know," said Potter. She laughed, "Activate? Don't you mean, break in?" He shrugged. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Anyway – Good luck!" She nodded and gave him the thumbs-up in return, and the boys made their way to their usual seats at the back of the room.

Severus ran into the classroom just then, slightly out of breath. Throwing himself down next to her, he asked, "Slughorn here yet?"

"Professor Slughorn, Sev," she said reprovingly, "And no, he isn't here yet. Where were you?" But before he could reply, the professor in question walked into the classroom, and all chatter ceased.

"Well, good afternoon, boys and girls," he said pleasantly. "You lot ready for the test?" They all nodded silently, and he said, "Excellent! You have half an hour. Good luck, everyone." He waved his wand, and about twenty pieces of parchment appeared out of thin air and flew towards them; one for each student. "Good luck, Sev," she whispered, as she opened her scroll. He responded with a thumbs-up sign, and began to open his own.

She scanned the parchment. It was a habit of hers; she generally took about two or three minutes to skim through the questions before starting to write the test. Next to her, she saw Severus scribbling furiously. She read the instructions: _This test has ten questions. Answer each one in a single sentence only. Full marks will be awarded only if the answer is completely correct._

She looked at the first question. _The tape weed plant is commonly found in which ocean?_ She smiled; she knew the answer to that: _Pacific Ocean_ , she thought. She decided to use her new eagle-feather quill, and wrote: _The tape weed plant is most commonly found in the Pacific Ocean_. Slughorn had said that one sentence would suffice.

The next question was: _Name a remedy to cure lameness._ She thought for a minute, then wrote: _The essence of dittany acts as a cure for lameness_. She read the next question. _Do winds affect the growth rate of the goosefern? If yes, what are they calles?_ She considered, then wrote, _Yes, the oceanic winds affect the growth rate of the goosefern_.

 _What is Amortenia?_ She answered, _Amortenia is the world's strongest Love Potion_. _What is a clear indicator that the Calming Draught is ready?_ She wrote, _The Calming Draught thickens to about a third of its volume when it's ready_. _What an easy test_ , she thought. She continued to write, hardly taking a minute to write each answer.

A few minutes later, Slughorn called, "Time is up, everyone. Quills down! Now, for your answer sheets… _Accio_!" Parchment flew across the room into the Professor's hands. "Now, sit silently while I correct these!" he said genially, and gave Lily a wide smile as he passed her. Beside her, Severus looked serene; he had the undeniable look of someone who knew that they had aced the test.

She looked behind her to see Potter and Black talking animatedly, while Peter looked anxious, as did Remus. Next to her, Liz caught her eye and smiled at her in a relieved kind of a way. She smiled back. Severus wanted to discuss the paper, and she tallied her answers with his; they both had the same answers for all questions, and she was just as sure as he was that she would score full marks.

"How did you do, Evans? Think you can score full marks today too?" Potter called from behind her. Black laughed. "I'll score better than you, Potter," she returned, and to her surprise, his smirk widened. "I don't think so. A Galleon says that I beat you today." She laughed; was he crazy? Everyone knew that she was good at Potions… "I'll take that bet, Potter," she said. His grin widened, and it became more evil than amused. But before he could say anything more, Slughorn called, "I've finished! Mr Snape has the highest score. Full marks, Mr Snape, well done! Twenty-five points to Slytherin!" Severus acknowledged Slughorn's praise happily.

She was surprised; she knew she and Severus had the same answers, how could he score more than her? "Here are your papers," said Slughorn, and parchment flew across the room again. Everyone got their paper back, except her. This confused her even more. Behind her, Potter called, "I got a nine… What about you?"

"I don't know," she said, nonplussed. Where was her parchment? Slughorn said, "Class dismissed!" and everyone hurried towards the exit. "Just a moment, Miss Evans – would you stay, please?" said Slughorn to her, and she nodded apprehensively. What had happened? Liz looked just as confused, but Lily indicated that she could go ahead, so her friend followed the rest of the class out of the dungeons. She was now alone with Professor Slughorn, who was carrying what looked like her answer sheet.

"Well, Miss Evans – I'm sorry to say that you have failed this test." His voice was unusually sombre, and he looked just as surprised as she felt. Her apprehension changed to panic. "But Professor – there has to be a mistake. I tallied my answers with Severus, we wrote the same things – so how did I fail and he got full marks?"

Slughorn considered. "Well – you see, Miss Evans, your answers were inaccurate… Here, let me show you…" He took her test paper and gave it to her. She scanned it with growing horror; her answers looked exactly as she'd written them, but with one word completely different! _The tape weed plant is most commonly found in the Pacific Canoe… The essence of dittany acts as a cure for salesmen… Yes, the cocaine winds affect the growth rate of the goosefern…_ She didn't even know what 'cocaine' was… Yet the handwriting was hers…

"This – isn't mine, Professor," she said blankly, trying to fight her panic. "I wrote Pacific Ocean… Lameness… Oceanic… I don't even know what 'cocaine' means, sir, how could I have written that?" She scanned the rest of her answers. _Amortenia is the world's strongest Love Option… The Calming Draught kitchens to about a third of its volume when it's ready…_ What was going on? Option? Kitchens? Her answers made no sense at all.

"Well, Miss Evans, cocaine is a very bad – evil – Muggle Potion," said Slughorn, looking a little troubled. "I assumed that you knew what it was because of your – uh – Muggle background, see? And what do you mean by 'cure for salesmen'? And 'Love Option'? I'm sure you meant 'Love Potion', so I just gave you half a mark for that one… But the other questions, Miss Evans… Your answers didn't make sense!"

 _This is bizzare_ , she thought. _I know my stuff… And I'm not bad with spellings either… I definitely wrote 'Love Potion'… So how did it become Love Option? Unless…_ Suddenly, she realized the problem. She checked the other offending words… She knew she'd written 'lameness' in place of 'salesmen', 'oceanic' in place of 'cocaine', 'thread' in place of 'dearth', 'thickens' in place of kitchens'… She set it aside. She knew what had happened.

"Er – Professor?" she asked tentatively. Slughorn looked at her enquiringly. "Er – you see, all the words that don't make sense… When you rearrange their letters, they form words that _do_ make sense… I mean, 'Canoe' here becomes 'Ocean'…" She looked up at him hopefully, and she saw comprehension dawn on his face. He drew his wand, and tapped each of the nonsensical words, and she saw that they corrected themselves immediately. He read through her answers, and slowly turned to her; the corner of his mouth twitched before he let out his booming laugh.

"Well, well – that certainly clears that up! I knew you wouldn't write gibberish on your test, Miss Evans – whatever happened? Did you use an Anagram Quill?" he asked, still laughing loudly. She was nonplussed. "Er – what is that, sir?" she asked blankly. He waved an impatient hand, still laughing. "Show me the quill you used, dear," he said kindly.

She gave him the eagle-feather quill she'd gotten from the boys. He surveyed it carefully. "Yep – this is certainly an Anagram Quill, designed to change one word from each sentence into an anagram of itself as soon as the writer finishes writing – a well-known joke product," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Has to be activated, though – well, I believe someone's just played a highly amusing prank on you, Lily." He laughed again, but she didn't feel amused at all. _Oh, I'm going to kill Potter and Black_!

"Well – you get full marks too," said Slughorn, and she felt relieved at once. "There you go – that make you happy? And twenty-five points to Gryffindor for your score – and an extra ten for catching the prank!" He roared with laughter again, and she forced a laugh too, though she was seething inwardly. "Thanks, Professor – Bye!" She waved at Slughorn, slung her bag on her shoulder and quickly exited the dungeons.

XXXXX

She felt a stab of annoyance at the prank that had been played on her, so elaborately. She continued to write furiously.

 _So, long story short, I nearly failed a test because of those three. Idiots! They had some nerve to use my birthday to play that prank on me! Anyway, it amused Professor Slughorn too, and he gave me full marks – I shudder to think what the outcome would've been if Professor McGonagall had been the one giving us the test. But still – I was really angry as I raced back to the common room. When I got there, I found Liz, and I explained it all to her…_

XXXXX

She had barely finished telling her story when Liz burst out laughing. She surveyed her best friend, annoyed. "What, you find that funny? I nearly failed a test! Imagine what that would've done to my final score in Potions!" But Liz simply laughed even more. Finally, she controlled herself enough to say, "Come on, Lil… One test doesn't matter! And Professor Slughorn gave you full marks anyway… So why're you even angry?" Lily snorted. "What if it had been Professor McGonagall, eh? What then?"

Liz considered this. "Well – in that case Potter and Black would have got detention. Come to think of it, we could have some fun with them…" Her eyes glinted wickedly. Lily leaned forward. "I'm listening," she said.

Liz grinned evilly. "What if we threaten to tell Professor McGonagall? That way, we could blackmail them into doing out homework for us!" Lily brightened at once. "Ha ha – that's a great idea! Come on – let's go!" She set off trying to find Potter and Black, and Liz followed her briskly. She spotted them near the portrait hole, just about to leave. Peter was with them too.

"Hey – Potter – Black!" she called. They all stopped, and she came face-to-face with them. "Well – I just want to thank you for that beautiful quill," she began. Potter grinned a little bemusedly. "Anytime," he said, "And by the way, did you find out your score? I'm sure I beat you!" His grin became a little wicked, and Black said, "Yeah, cough up the Galleon, Evans!"

"Yeah, yeah – don't count on it," she said. She quickly showed them her paper, and felt amused at their astounded faces. Peter leaned forward too, before whispering (loudly enough for her to hear) to Black, "Didn't it work?" Black glared at him. "Shut up, you dolt – not here!" he whispered back furiously. She decided to explain.

"Well – I realized what your little – uh – Anagram Quill does," she said, noting with satisfaction the dismay on their faces. "And Professor Slughorn gave me full marks – he was amused, too." They looked relieved, and she quickly continued, "But I doubt if Professor McGonagall will be amused!" They looked at her, a little scared. "You wouldn't!" said Peter, and there it was – he had just given them away. Black and Potter rounded on him immediately. "Shut up, Pete!" they said together, and he clapped a hand to his mouth at once.

"I won't tell Professor McGonagall – if you, Potter – and you, Black – write my Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts essays due Monday," she said. Liz nudged her, and she added quickly, "Oh, and Liz's too. You'll do that by tonight. Fail to do so – and I go to Professor McGonagall, and persuade her to give you a week's worth of detention – for trying to sabotage someone else's test so that you could out-score them. I don't think she'll be very happy with you."

"It was a joke! We weren't trying to sabotage your test!" said Potter hotly. "Oh, really? Then why did you bet on the outcome, knowing what was going to happen? That reeks of pre-meditation!" she countered. He remained silent. He looked at Black sullenly, and Black shrugged – clearly, they had realized that writing essays they could finish in a couple of hours was a better punishment that a week's worth of detention. They looked back at her and Liz, defeated.

"Fine," said Potter. "We'll give you your essays by tonight."

"And no nonsense – or I go to Professor McGonagall to tell on you," she threatened, and they nodded. "Not you, Peter – I'm sure they forced you into joining them," she added kindly, and he went pink with relief and smiled at her. "Thanks, Lily," he said nervously, and got dirty looks from Black and Potter. He shrank back at once.

"The Galleon," said Lily, with an air of superiority. Potter put a hand in his pocket, and handed her a fat gold Galleon. She took it with satisfaction.

"Well – have fun, boys," said Liz, with a tinkling laugh, "You have until after dinner tonight." They nodded sullenly, and made their way back to their dormitories, their shoulders drooping. Lily smiled at Liz victoriously. "You're a genius!" she said, hugging her friend. Liz grinned wickedly.

"Serves them right," she said. "In any case – we will end up writing our essays in our own words – but it'll help to have a reference, seeing that they're the best in our year at Transfiguration and Defence." Lily nodded in agreement.

"Come on – I'll teach you how to play Wizard's chess," said Liz. "All right," she said, and they went to their dormitory. _Certainly an interesting birthday_ , thought Lily happily…

XXXXX

She realized that she was nearly coming to the end of the roll of parchment. She wrote:

 _Well – so I ended up beating Liz; turns out I'm pretty good at Wizard's chess! And Potter and Black gave us our essays… They were very well-written, and I'm not going to tell on them, not that I had any intention to do so in the first place – but it was fun to pretend that I did! I tell you, Liz is a real genius… She can use any situation to her advantage!_

 _To summarize, I certainly had a memorable birthday. I missed you a lot, though. Oh, and Liz has asked me to stay at her place for a few days during the Easter holidays… So, can I go?_

 _Take care, and thank you once again for the wonderful presents._

 _Lots of love,_

 _Lily_

 _P.S.: Petunia, thank you for the lily. It's exquisite!_

She set down her quill, and rolled up the parchment. She looked at the quill-stand, which housed only two objects – a paper lily, and a beautiful eagle-feather quill, now mercifully deactivated (the trick to that was to say 'deactivate the quill'). She had no problems using it, but she decided never to use it in front of Potter and Black.

It was nearly breakfast-time as she arrived into the Owlery. "Come here, Cavana… I've got a job for you!" Her owl waited patiently for her to tie the rather thick scroll, nipped her finger affectionately, and took off in the light snow. "Safe flight, then!" she called after the retreating bird, before exiting the Owlery and making her way down to breakfast.

 _Memorable birthday_ , she thought happily… _Memorable birthday_!

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	9. Chapter 8

Thanks for the review, Light Black, I have made a few changes based on your suggestions. Here is chapter eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Offengang and Verschliesum**

"Wow – your mother is really, well, _cool_! I mean, my parents asked her so many questions about magic, and she didn't even mind!" said Lily, a little sheepishly. Liz grinned.

"Yeah, I like to think so, too," she said simply.

It was the Easter holidays, and Lily had come to Liz's house for spending the last few days of the vacation with her best friend. It had been an uneventful two months since her birthday; Potter and Black had been cowed enough to not try any more pranks on her, though they still targeted Severus and thereby managed to stay on her wrong side; she was getting better at Transfiguration, with Liz helping her through it; she kept her place at the top of the class in Potions and Charms; she and Liz had discovered the Disillusionment Charm, a useful spell that they knew would aid them in covertly spying on unfriendly Slytherins, and they had started to tease Mary with Gavin Johnson, a Hufflepuff in their year. In fact, apart from the Disillusionment Charm, the only thing that had been remotely interesting had been that she had finally stayed on her broom for a full five minutes without panicking in their last Flying lesson, following which Potter had pretended to dive-bomb her, and she had fallen off her broom promptly; however, she had been uninjured, having been only about three feet above the ground, and Potter had got detention from a furious Madam Hooch, to her enormous satisfaction.

She had spent the first few days of the Easter holidays at home. She had arrived happily, sure that things would finally improve between her and her sister, but one look at Petunia's face had told her that this would be almost impossible. For starters, when Lily had thanked her once again for the paper lily, her sister had told her spitefully that she bought the lily and had wished her on her birthday only because their mother had forced her to do so. The revelation had bitterly disappointed her, and to add insult to injury, Petunia had proceeded to make snide comments about her and Hogwarts all throughout the Easter weekend. The next few days hadn't really been any better, and she had been rather glad when she'd said goodbye to her parents before leaving for Liz's house.

She had been rather excited to travel by fire by the first time. Mrs Huntington had Apparated to their house that morning (Liz had explained in her letter that Apparation was a very difficult way to travel by magic; it involved disappearing from one place and reappearing elsewhere almost instantaneously), but had told her that they would be travelling by fire. She had met the petite, beautiful, golden-haired woman at King's Cross once before; Mrs Huntington had told her then that she would be coming to pick her up the next week, and that they'd be travelling by 'Floo powder', whatever that was.

Mrs Huntington had arrived at precisely eight o' clock that Thursday morning. She had been promptly invited for breakfast, but she'd declined politely; she had to be at work in an hour, and she was going to drop Lily off at her house before going to work. She had consented to have a cup of tea and biscuits, though, and much to Lily's embarrassment, her parents had proceeded to bombard her friend's mother with questions about magic. Mrs Huntington had answered them all smilingly, however.

"So, Lily," she said when the clock struck eight-thirty, "Ready?"

She nodded. "Yes, Mrs Huntington," she said, indicating her rucksack, fully packed. Mrs Huntington stood up. She took out a small pouch from her pocket, and offered it to Lily, who looked at her, nonplussed.

"Er – what am I supposed to do, Mrs Huntington?" she asked uncertainly. Mrs Huntington let out a small exclamation. "Oh, sorry dear, I completely forgot that you hadn't travelled by Floo powder before! Here – take some of this powder…"

She took a handful of the powder from the pouch. Mrs Huntington pointed her wand at the fireplace. " _Incendio!_ " she said, and flames appeared in the fireplace as if they had been burning for hours. Her parents watched on silently, dumbstruck with their mouths slightly open.

"Goodbye, Daddy, Mummy," she said, and hugged her parents. They returned her hug with 'Be good, Princess' and 'have fun, sweetheart', before standing slightly way from the fireplace. "Now, throw the powder into the fire," instructed Mrs Huntington. She did as she was told, and the flames suddenly turned emerald green.

"Good, now step into the fireplace. Don't worry – the green flames won't hurt you."

She stepped into the fireplace, and discovered that Mrs Huntington was right; the flames were comfortably warm, rather like the springtime sun.

"Good – now say 'Huntington Cottage' very clearly, dear. I'll see you in a minute," said Mrs Huntington briskly. She opened her mouth and inhaled some ash; however, she managed to shout out 'Huntington Cottage!' before being overcome by a coughing fit. She spun rapidly, and observed the hundreds of fireplaces she seemed to cross, before –

She came to a stop at last, and stumbled out of the fireplace, coughing a little, when a familiar voice caused her to open her eyes.

"About time!" said Liz, "I was beginning to think Mum forgot our address!" She helped Lily balance before hugging her tightly. Lily returned the hug unsteadily, trying to shake off her dizziness. They broke apart, and Liz said, as if reading her mind, "Yeah, the sensation gets some time to get used to…"

"I felt like an idiot stepping into the fireplace, you know – not knowing what I was going to do," said Lily fretfully, "I mean, witches and wizards use Floo powder, Apparation and brooms to travel, and I know nothing about it… I mean, I'm a witch, and I don't know the most basic things! I feel so stupid sometimes!"

"Well, it's completely OK to feel what you are," said Liz innocently, her sea-green eyes dancing with mischief. Lily glared at her, and she said, "Come on – I'm only kidding!" But before Lily could retort, Mrs Huntington came spinning into view.

"Well, dears, I'm sorry I have to leave immediately, but there's chicken sandwiches on the kitchen counter, and Minty will make you some tea – Minty!" she called, and with a loud _crack_ , a tiny creature, about three feet tall and wearing a little white skirt, appeared in front of them.

"This is our house-elf, Minty," supplied Liz helpfully. Lily only nodded mutely.

"Minty – please make tea for these two once they're done eating," said Mrs Huntington, and the little house-elf nodded. "Mistress needn't worry – Minty will take good care of Miss Liz and her friend," said the house-elf in a high, squeaky voice. Lily supposed she was a female.

"Good, thanks, Minty," said Mrs Huntington, relieved. She waved to her and Liz, saying, "I'll be back by six with your father, dears – be good, and don't give Minty any trouble!" Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Mum – when have I ever troubled Minty?" Mrs Huntington merely shook her head and stepped back into the fireplace. "Ministry of Magic!" she shouted, and disappeared in a haze of green flames.

"Come on – breakfast!" said Liz brightly, and Lily followed her friend to the spacious dining room, drinking in everything about the house; its beautiful, midnight blue walls, its bright interior, and the various paintings of seascape art.

After breakfast, Liz gave her a tour of her house. As it turned out, Huntington Cottage was less of a cottage and more of a small mansion, though Liz said that it wasn't as grand as the Manor houses of other pureblood families. It was located in Cherrywood, a little village on the outskirts of Southampton, and a long line of Huntingtons had lived there for generations. The Cottage was situated right on the beach, and had a marvellous view of the endless blue sea. It was certainly a beautiful place to grow up. Lily, who had lived all her life in the Midlands, away from the sea, loved being so close to it; she liked the smell of the salty water, the cries of seagulls, and the roar of the waves as they crashed onto the sand.

Liz told her that the Huntingtons had been sailors in the medieval ages, having assisted with shipbuilding and navigating for hundreds of years from then onwards. She told her that one of her ancestors, George Huntington III, was the actual inventor of the reflecting quadrant (a navigating instrument for accurate latitude predictions), but he had given all the credit to his Muggle friend Isaac Newton for the discovery. Lily was surprised; she had heard Sir Isaac Newton's name multiple times in school, and couldn't believe that he'd been so close to a wizard. Well, the sailor ancestry certainly explained the seascape paintings.

Huntington Cottage consisted of three floors; a ground floor where the living room, a drawing room, the kitchen and the dining room were situated, along with Minty's quarters; the first floor which consisted of a number of bedrooms, and the second floor which housed a huge, spacious library with spellbooks containing medieval magic that was mostly used by wizards at sea, and antique instruments as well. Liz said that the Huntingtons were well-off, but 'well-off was abit of an understatement; in fact, her parents, Liz herself, and at least ten generations after them could live an extravagant lifestyle without needing to work. "But," she added, "Mum and Dad like to work; they want to do some good to the world – at least, that's what they say. Personally, I think they'd be bored to just sit next to each other all day," she said, rolling her eyes, and Lily laughed.

Lily thoroughly enjoyed her stay at Huntington Cottage. Liz's Dad was very friendly and affable, and she found him curiously knowledgeable about Muggle machines and appliances, and Lily entered a discussion with him about how cars were a safer means of transport than brooms, while Liz and her mother looked on, trying very hard to keep a straight face. Mr Huntington, in turn, narrated interesting anecdotes about his job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and she found the conversation fascinating. She noted that Liz had her father's warm, sea-green eyes.

Mrs Huntington (who Lily thought looked considerably younger than her thirty-nine years), she realized, was a former Quidditch player. She had played for the Puddlemere United Quidditch team as a Seeker, joining them almost immediately after graduating from Hogwarts. She had been hailed as a rising star, and had been appointed Captain only three years after joining the team, at the tender age of twenty-one. She had captained the team to a victorious League campaign at the age of twenty-three, played in the Quidditch Champions League (in which the best teams from Europe competed against each other), and had been selected to play for England as well, going on to represent the country at the Quidditch World Cup too; but she had retired from the sport at the tender age of twenty-six on account of her getting pregnant with Liz. She had retired right after England had lost in the semi-finals to West Germany (who had gone on to win the Cup), in order to raise her child. Once Liz had been six or seven, she had joined the Department of Magical Games and Sports in a strictly part-time consulting role, joining full-time only after Liz had departed to Hogwarts. _No wonder Liz and her Mum are so close,_ thought Lily, _she's been the one to raise her for her entire life!_

As it turned out, Mr and Mrs Huntington had a lot of fun with Lily. Mr Huntington was fascinated by Muggle schools and the subjects taught there, and Mrs Huntington asked her a number of questions about 'that Muggle sport called football', though admittedly she didn't know much about it. When the time to depart to Hogwarts had come, the Huntingtons immediately extended a summer invite to Lily, and Liz had been thrilled when she had accepted immediately. _It would've been wonderful to have magical parents_ , Lily thought enviously… _Wonderful_ …

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"Well – did you make any headway with the Disillusionment Charm?" whispered Liz one Saturday evening, as they worked in the library on Professor Sprout's homework. It had been more than a month after the Easter holidays, and the summer was firmly upon them. It had been a beautiful day, and the mid-May sky was a still a bright blue, although it was well past noon, and not a cloud was in sight. Lily wished she could go outside and just sit under the big beech tree, but she couldn't. The exams began the week after next, and she was studying with Liz in the library.

She looked up and said softly, "Not really. I only know that the incantation is ' _Pellucidus_ ', but I haven't figured out the correct wand movement yet. It is a light sort of tap, but when I try it on little objects, nothing happens. The Charm is a bit advanced – I mean, it's taught in fifth year. We're mere first-years…" Her voice trailed off.

Liz grinned. "Well, if anyone can do it, you can, Lil. You're the best one in our year when it comes to Charms." Lily went pink at the compliment, but forced herself to focus. "I don't think so, Liz. Roger Hathaway is better than me." It was true. The bespectacled, quiet Ravenclaw had beaten her on their last test. Liz snorted, and earned herself a disapproving look from Madam Pince, whom she ignored.

"All the same, if anyone can work out how a Charm is cast, it would be you, Lil. I know you can do it. I'll help, too," said Liz. Lily nodded her thanks. Together, they worked in silence until the clock struck seven-thirty. It was time to go back. Gathering their things, they exited the library, talking softly. Liz enthusiastically discussed Gryffindor's prospects in the final Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, which would take place next Saturday. Slytherin had beaten Hufflepuff that very morning, and according to Liz, if Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw by more than a hundred and ten points, the Cup was theirs. Lily listened, but her mind was on the Disillusionment Charm. _If only I could get it working_ …

On their way back, however, they spied a familiar figure ahead of them. Lily recognized the tall, thin boy with white-blond hair; it was Lucius Malfoy, the Slytherin Seeker who had made an excellent catch that very morning. She wondered where he was going, until Liz said, "Let's follow him, Lily. Come on… We can get to the bottom of this!" Lily knew that it was reckless, but then again, her curiosity was aroused. She nodded briefly, and the two girls set off soundlessly behind the Slytherin Prefect.

As they followed Malfoy, Lily realized that she was walking along a familiar path on the sixth floor; it was the same route Travers had taken so many months ago. She and Liz had spent some time memorizing that corridor, but they hadn't been able to figure out how Travers had disappeared at that time. She had a nervous feeling at the back of her neck as they crept along the wall carefully; she was sure that they were being watched, but she couldn't see anyone every time she turned back. Once or twice, she even heard what she thought was the sound of muffled feet. But it was gone the next second; she was sure she had imagined it.

Finally, they watched as Malfoy turned the very corner Travers had turned before he'd vanished that day. They waited for about two minutes, and when no one came, stealthily crept ahead and turned the corner.

"I don't believe it!" whispered Liz. She nodded, just as astonished.

Malfoy had vanished.

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The two girls stood there, staring at the walls and the paintings that hung upon them. "Darn it! I was so sure we would know where he was going! Where they all go!" said Liz, frustrated. Lily felt just as annoyed. "What now?" she asked Liz, who shrugged gloomily. "Let's go back, what else? We don't want to miss curfew, do we?"

But Lily remained static. She was not ready to abandon their effort so soon. "There has to be something here. People don't just vanish into thin air. Perhaps… There's a clue in one of these portraits!" She began to tap the portrait in front of her, and its occupant, an old, wizened wizard, looked at her disapprovingly. She repeated the action with other portraits as well, but nothing happened. Finally, Liz said, "Uh – why are you tapping the portraits?"

She paused and said, "Well, if there's a secret room behind any of these portraits, we can find it by listening to the sound my tap makes. If it's hollow, there's something there!" Liz looked sceptical. "Are you sure?" she asked, unable to keep the doubt out of her voice.

"Yeah, _we_ were wondering that, too," said a familiar voice, and both girls jumped and turned around. Standing behind them were Potter, Black and Pettigrew; Potter had the usual cocky grin on his face, Black looked excited, and Pettigrew nervous.

"What are you doing here?" Liz asked the boys. Lily slowly moved next to her best friend.

"We followed you," said Potter shortly. "We wanted to set him –" he held up a lizard, and Lily recoiled, disgusted, "—on you, when you left the Great Hall. But then – you took this path, and we weren't sure why you were going wherever you were, and we just wanted to see what you were up to, so we followed you. You looked like you were following someone, too – what're you doing here?"

So she'd been right, she had heard someone following them. She wasn't sure why she hadn't seen anyone, though. She debated how much to tell the boys, about Travers and Malfoy disappearing somewhere in this region of the castle – but Liz made that decision for her.

"Long story," she said, "The point of which is, we followed Lucius Malfoy here, and we have also followed Travers – that big fifth-year – here, back in January. But they just vanished somewhere here – and we're not sure why."

Potter and Black looked at each other, before Potter shrugged at Black, who said, "Well – we might know why." Lily and Liz stared at him, astounded, before Lily regained her poise. _Black's being an arrogant berk again_ , she thought. "How in the world would you possibly know, Black?" she asked him, her tone slightly mocking.

"Because," said Black, "Your initial hunch – it's correct, Evans. There is, in fact, a secret passage behind that portrait of Agrippa." She frowned disbelievingly, and Potter stepped forward. "You see, Evans, secret passages work differently in the wizarding world. You can never find them by tapping; to open them, you generally need a wand."

"And you know how to open this passage?" Liz asked Potter, her eyes wide. He grinned.

"Yep. Watch carefully," he said, and stepped confidently in front of the portrait of Agrippa. Lily and Liz watched with anticipation as he tapped the portrait and said, " _Offengang!_ "

She watched, dumbstruck, as the portrait swung forward, revealing a tunnel behind it. It was completely dark, and tall enough for a full-grown man to fit through it. Potter turned back and grinned. "See? This is where he went!"

Black stepped forward. "So who wants to see what the big bad Slytherins are up to?" he asked enthusiastically. Potter laughed and said, "Count me in. You coming, Pete?"

Peter, who had hovered silently in the background, looked at them apprehensively. "Er – I don't mind," he said at last, though by his voice it was clear that he, in fact, _did_ mind. Potter turned to her and Liz. "What about you, Evans, Hunt?"

"Obviously," said Liz at once, before turning to her. "Lily?"

She remained silent. She was torn between wanting to explore the passage (now that it lay open in front of her) and apprehensive about what she would find at the end of it. She was sure she would run into a gang of unfriendly Slytherins, and suddenly, it didn't seem like a good idea after all. Also, going meant having to put up with Potter and Black, but then again, they had been the ones who had showed them how to open the passage. In the end, curiosity trumped apprehension.

"I'm in!" she said, and stepped forward. "But – there's no telling what those nasty Slytherins could be up to. It could be dangerous… So I think it's a good idea if one of us remains behind, so that if we don't return within an hour or so, that person could alert Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall, see?"

There was a pause, following which Black said, "Oh, where's your sense of adventure, Evans? C'mon – let's go!" He tapped his foot impatiently. "Well – I just feel that it's better to have a back-up plan, Black – in case we get into trouble, see?" she countered, standing her ground. Potter and Black snorted, but Liz said, "I agree with Lily, one of us needs to stay back and alert the professors – there's no telling what Malfoy is up to!"

"I'll stay," volunteered Peter immediately. Potter rolled his eyes, and Black said, "You're such a poltroon, Pete." Peter went pink, but Lily immediately defended him by rounding on Black. "If he doesn't want to come with us, don't force him, Black. He'll be perfectly fine staying here. Remember – if we do get into trouble, you'll be thanking him later when help arrives!" Liz nodded vigorously next to her, and Black shrank back. He held up his hands and said, "All right, Evans, calm down!"

"Pete – you can stay, mate," said Potter. "If we're not back within two hours, make sure to go to Gid and Fab first. Then do as they tell you, OK?" Peter nodded, relieved. Potter beckoned to him to come with him, and she watched with Liz and Black, nonplussed, as they turned the corner together. A few seconds later, Potter returned alone.

"Pete's gone," he said. "Now – shall we go, too?" Lily was confused; she didn't understand why Potter had told Peter to go to the Prewett twins first, and what Potter had told him confidentially, but she hid her confusion by nodding absently. "Well – come on, then," said Black enthusiastically, and the four of them scrambled into the passage, one behind another.

The passageway was quite roomy; she and Liz walked side by side without difficulty. Ahead of them, Potter said, " _Lumos!_ " Black followed suit, and they all made their way forward, guided by the light of the wands. Lily noted that the passage sloped downwards for quite a while, before levelling off about fifteen minutes later. They all walked forward silently.

After about ten more minutes, Lily asked, "So how do you two know about this passage?" Black said from ahead of her, "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Evans." She heard the teasing note in his voice, and Liz said, "Stop being a berk, Black, and spill the beans."

"Fine," said Black, while Potter snickered, "Fab and Gid told us about it. They've been using it for years, they found it out quite by accident – and they decided to pass on the knowledge to someone who would continue their legacy as the greatest pranksters in the school!"

"Ha ha," said Liz in a bored voice. Lily wondered where the passage led to. They'd been walking for more than half an hour, and she was starting to feel a little tired. "So – where does this passage lead to?" she asked. Potter replied, his voice incredulous, "You haven't guessed by now? Come on, Evans – it's obvious that this passage leads to –"

"Hogsmeade," Liz cut in decisively. In the dim wandlight, she saw Potter nod. "Correct, Hunt. Hogsmeade is where we're going now – this passage opens up in a dark alleyway behind the Three Broomsticks. We'll have to ascend a ladder to get out of it." Liz nodded, but Lily was confused. "What's Hogsmeade?" she asked curiously.

Potter and Black stopped and turned around to face her, their mouths slightly open. "What's Hogsmeade?" mimicked Potter. "Where do you think we get off the train, Evans – the normally-invisible-but-magically-made-visible Lake Station?" he asked, his tone sarcastic and a little condescending. She flushed.

"Well – excuse me for not being born in a Wizarding family! I know that a lot of things are new to me, but you'd do very well not to rub my face in it, thank you very much! And there's a lot of things you don't know too – like pens and refrigerators and washing machines and electricity –"

"Woah, slow down, Evans, I was only joking!" said Potter, taking a step backwards and holding up his hands, while Black laughed. Liz put an arm on her shoulder. "Calm down, Lil – no one is making fun of you! Hogsmeade – is a fully Wizarding village just a stone's throw from Hogwarts. It is where students from third year onwards get to go to on specific weekends, and we will too, once we're old enough. The point is – there are a lot of shops and pubs and coffee shops in Hogsmeade, as well as people who live there, and the Hogwarts Express always stops at Hogsmeade station for students to get down."

She calmed down at once, though still faintly irritated with Potter's jibe. They all set off once again, and didn't say much until Potter and Black came to an abrupt stop.

"Well – here we are. We've reached the ladder, we have to climb it to get out – I'll go first, shall I?" Without waiting for a response, he started to ascend the ladder, and a few seconds later, she saw a hole through which the darkening sky was visible. The hole looked about ten feet above her, and she saw Potter silhouetted against the sky. "Well – come on, then," he said, and Black ascended the ladder next; Liz followed him while she brought up the rear. When they were all out, Potter pointed his wand at the manhole lid and said, " _Verschliesum!_ " The manhole cover glided on top of the manhole and sealed the passage shut. A second later, the top of the cover changed to resemble the street next to it.

"Well hidden, that passageway is," said Potter. "You can only find it if you know it's there. Now come on – if Malfoy took this passage, we need to find out where he is…"

"How are we going to do that?" asked Liz. They had come out of the alley, and were now standing next to the Three Broomsticks, which Lily noted was a pub. Ahead of them, people walked along the street; it looked like the main street. She saw various shops ahead of her, and read their names: _Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes, Zonko's_ …

"Good question, Hunt," said Black. "I think we should split up and look around. James and I will go left, and you two go right. Send up green sparks if you find anything. What say, James?"

Potter looked at Black as if he were mad. "You're kidding, right? I mean, how stupid would it be if we get caught by the Slytherins because we're split up? I say we stick together – that way we stand a better chance against them. Besides, there's no way I'm going to leave these two alone here."

She marvelled at the sudden display of chivalry from James Potter, who was utterly insufferable, immature and irritating. She felt a rush of gratitude towards him; her previously-suppressed apprehension was back, and she was starting to feel that all of them playing detective was not such a good idea…

"All right, all right – it was just a thought!" said Black irritably. He turned to them and said, "Well – guess we're stuck with you." Liz nodded, and Lily said, "Let's go, then – I say we go left from here. There's less shops there, and less people too – if the Slytherins are meeting here in this village, they would do so at a place which isn't crowded and is out of the way."

"Good thinking, Lil," said Liz, smiling and patting her back. Potter looked at her, and she noted with satisfaction the grudging admiration in his hazel eyes. "Well – as much as I hate to say it, you make a good point, Evans. Let's go left, everyone – and stick together!"

"Aye, aye, Captain," said Black, a little mockingly, and they set off, with her and Liz following them. They went into an alleyway, but didn't see anything suspicious. They began to search the rest of the alleyways, walking with soft footsteps, moving along stealthily.

As they stood near the entrance of an alleyway at the very end of the village, Black stopped suddenly. She realized why a second later; there was a tall, hooded figure in front of them. "Quick, hide!" he whispered urgently. They all tore back into the alleyway and threw themselves behind some litter bins. Lily peeked around the bin; she saw that the hooded figure was headed straight towards them, before turning at the last minute and coming to a stop at the door of the house right next to them. She estimated that they all were about five feet away from the hooded person, who removed their mask and pulled back the hood of their robes. Lily realized that it was a woman.

She was a very beautiful woman. She had long, thick and shiny black hair, that came up to beneath her shoulders. She was tall and willowy, and as she looked around, Lily caught a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were brown and heavily-lidded with long eyelashes, and she had a strong jaw. She noted with a dreadful blast of recognition that this woman closely resembled Andromeda, the Head Girl; however, she looked older than Andromeda, and gave off an overall aura of arrogance. She looked around one last time before tapping her wand on the door, which opened. She went inside and the door slammed shut.

They all stepped out cautiously. "That was Cousin Bella!" said Black furiously. "I _knew_ it! I _knew_ she's up to no good!"

"Another cousin? How many do you have, Black?" asked Liz lightly. Black snorted. "Quite a few, Hunt… You see, Bella, Andromeda and Cissy are sisters, and while Andromeda is really nice, Bella and Cissy are pure-blood maniacs. Bella is downright evil – And to think I played on her lap as a child, and she always took me to see Quidditch games when I five!"

They all stood there awkwardly. Lily felt bad for Black; it wasn't nice to have relatives who were close to you for a few years, only for things to go south, and she could certainly relate to him.

"So – Bella and Cissy are the black sheep of the – er, Black family, eh?" said Potter, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Black seemed to come out of a reverie. "Right – so this is definitely where Malfoy must be. How do we find out what's going on?"

"We could start by looking in through the windows," suggested Liz. They all nodded, and began to set off, but just as they had taken a couple of steps forward, two more hooded and masked figures appeared at the entrance of the alleyway.

"Well, well – what do we have here?" said one of them, his voice laced with anger. Quick as a flash, he drew his wand, and before any of them could react, he shouted, " _Stupefy!_ " Next to her, Potter collapsed to the ground. She screamed with horror but no sound came out. That was when she saw that the second person had their wand out too, and she realized immediately that a Silencing Charm had been cast over them all, just as it had been cast on her last October. She whipped her wand out, but it was useless – she couldn't even cry out an incantation and only watched helplessly as Black too was Stunned in front of her.

"Stupefy!" the first man shouted again, his wand pointing at her this time. She saw a jet of red light headed her way and tried to dive aside, but it still hit her. The last thing she heard was a cackle of laughter before everything went black.

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 **Author's note:** Well… Lily and the rest seem to have landed themselves in a bit of a pickle! Stay tuned… Chapter nine is coming soon!

Cheers,

FlashofFlame


	10. Chapter 9

Hi everyone, please read and review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Nine**

" **Watch closely, filthy Mudblood, for you're next!"**

She came to, and realized that she was lying on her back in a dimly lit room. She tried to move, but she couldn't; she was completely immobilized. She immediately realized that she was under a Full Body-Bind Curse. She heard heavy breathing on either side of her, and surmised that Liz, Potter and Black were probably lying next to her as well. She felt her wand in the pocket of her robes, and wondered it hadn't been taken… _Unless – they think we're no threat to them as long as we're immobilized_ , she thought.

She lay there, thinking desperately. She couldn't see any way out of their predicament. They were out of school, out of bounds, somewhere in Hogsmeade, where no one would come looking for them. It seemed like a really stupid idea now, wanting to investigate everything themselves… Why hadn't she listened to Liz when she'd suggested that they go back to the common room? Why had she looked around for a secret room, and when Potter and Black had arrived, why hadn't she stayed behind? Why hadn't she been rational?

 _I shouldn't have come_ , she thought miserably… _I should've stayed behind… Stayed behind_. All of a sudden, she felt relieved. _Peter_ , she thought… Peter had stayed behind. He would find the Prewett twins, or a teacher, and come to rescue them. If only she knew where she was… Well, if she didn't know, how were the Prewett twins know? The hope that that help would come sooner or later slowly began to extinguish. They were on their own. She had no idea what Peter was up to, whether he'd found someone, whether anyone would believe him…

How long she lay there, she didn't know. The others made no sound from next to her, and the dim light was coming from the half-open door. She guessed that some kind of meeting was taking place in the adjacent room, and strained her ears to see if could catch anything of what was being said, but it was of no use. The voices were muffled.

Finally, after what felt like ages, she heard the sound of people getting up and the door of the house opening. She figured that the meeting was over, and that people were leaving the house. She waited for something to happen in a few moments; now that the meeting was over, and she wasn't disappointed: the leader (Bella, as Black had told them earlier) walked into the room. She wasn't alone, however; four other figures stood behind her, all flanking her like massive bodyguards. She saw that they were wearing skull masks over their faces. _They don't want us to identify them_ , she thought.

"Well, well – here they are, the bunch of Nosey Parkers who followed Lucius from Hogwarts! Lucius was fool enough to let himself be seen… Luckily there are other ways to go back into the school, so we're fine for now, these kids can say all they want, no one will believe them!" said Bella in an amused tone, but Lily caught the harsh undercurrent in her voice, which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Well – release them, so that we can question them!" she said to one of her henchmen, who raised his wand and said, " _Finite Incantatem!_ " The feeling was suddenly restored to her hands and feet, and she struggled to her feet slowly. To her right, she saw Liz doing the same; to her left, Potter and Black had jumped to their feet in a trice, and had wasted no time in drawing their wands. Bella laughed harshly.

"Put those away," she said to them coldly, "There's five wands trained at you, and we know magic that you children can only dream of learning, boys…" They ignored her, their wands steady. She quickly drew her own, too, and Liz did the same. Bella laughed harshly once again.

"A cocky lot, aren't you? But then, you're all Gryffindors, the House of the brave and the very stupidly reckless!" She turned to face Black. "I'm _ashamed_ that we share the last name, Sirius… _Ashamed_ to be associated with you! Why couldn't you do what Auntie Walburga asked and get Sorted into Slytherin?" she asked, shaking her head slightly, her tone still amused.

Black bristled with anger. "What, and be associated with _you_? No thanks, Cousin Bellatrix… I'd rather be a brave and reckless Gryffindor than an insane and evil Slytherin such as yourself!" Bellatrix frowned, but maintained her poise. She said, "Watch your language, dear cousin… Any more cheek from you, and I'll make sure that Auntie Walburga makes your life hell during the summer!"

"Oh, like it isn't going to be like that already, seeing that she's just as mad as you are!" yelled Black, but he didn't get very far. "Shut up!" said Bellatrix angrily, and with a flick of her wand she silenced him. Next to him, Potter spoke up. "Why did you attack us?" he asked her defiantly. _It is rather brave of him to speak like that_ , she thought.

"Because, little Jamie, you were spying on us! And this is how we treat snoopers!" she said jeeringly, twirling her wand between her fingers. Even in the dim light, she saw Potter twitch angrily. "What are you going to do with us?" he asked her. She considered, while the other four masked figures just stood behind her, their wands raised.

"Well – considering that you're a pure-blood, Jamie-boy, I won't do anything to you. Or even little dumb Sirius here –" she indicated the still-silent boy, laughing, "—but these girls –" she turned to them, and Lily saw the suspicious look in her crafty eyes, "—who are they? Who are you, and what are you doing, tagging along with these clowns here?"

Lily remained silent. Bellatrix had just called James a pure-blood, and Travers had probably been in the meeting… _It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she's a pure-blood maniac as well_ , she thought. She resolutely kept her mouth shut; saying her name out loud would most likely end up in another bullying session for her, and she didn't want to go through that again.

"Elizabeth Huntington," said Liz clearly from next to her, "And this is Lily – Lily Gilchrist." Lily nodded vigorously, and Bellatrix's eyes rested on hers for a split second. She smiled an evil smile before turning back to Liz. "Nice try, sweetheart," she said derisively, "But I know you're lying – your little pause before saying 'Gilchrist' gave you away… And besides, I have my own ways to detect when someone is lying to me, and that job is easy when that someone is a stupid little girl like yourself –" she turned to her, "And you, redhead, be a dear and tell me your real name, or we start using wands!" She raised her wand and pointed it to Lily, who shuddered slightly.

She knew that she would have to tell her real name to the woman in front of her, or she would be hit by a terrible curse of some kind. Cold with dread, she said, more bravely than she felt, "My name is Lily Evans."

Bellatrix looked at her disdainfully. "Ooh, a Mudblood! How – very – charming!" Lily shuddered once again at the anger in her voice. "Your kind have no place at Hogwarts, Lily Evans. You're not even fit to lick my shoes, so you should've stayed in the dirty, filthy Muggle world where you belong with your disgusting Muggle parents! That way you'd have been safe from my wrath!"

Beneath her dread and fear, she felt a new emotion: rage. Who was Bellatrix to decide if she was fit to be at Hogwarts? How could she say all this to her, insult her so much, and even her wonderful, loving parents? Tears threatened to come to her eyes, but she angrily suppressed them. She wasn't going to show weakness, or give any indication of how much Bellatrix's words had hurt her…

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" Potter shouted angrily, and she looked at him gratefully. Beside her, Liz said defiantly, "Lily is one of the most talented students at Hogwarts! She is top of our class in Potions and Charms, and she fully deserves to be here!" Black nodded vigorously in support, but Bellatrix just laughed. "Well, if scum like this tops the classes at Hogwarts, I'm seriously starting to doubt the teaching standards at Hogwarts. And you, cousin –" she looked at Black, "—you hanging around riff-raff like this is seriously going to upset Auntie Walburga!"

"I'm not riff-raff," she said suddenly. She was surprised at the fury in her own voice, but logic had taken a backseat, and her emotions were now driving her. "I'm not any different from you. I'm a witch too!" She shouted out the last sentence and beside her, Liz wrapped her hand in hers, and squeezed it tightly, saying resolutely, "Yes, she's a witch, and she has every right to be at Hogwarts!"

"Admirable sentiments," said Bellatrix mockingly, "Also, _incorrect_ sentiments. Mudbloods at Hogwarts, what utter rubbish! Your kind should be sent to the bottom of the garbage pile, for that is where filth like you belongs! To have the nerve to think that you – a disgusting Mudblood, are any different from me – a Black, descended from a long line of pure-bloods!"

"There is no difference," said Lily truculently, her voice quavering slightly. She had never felt so angry; she was actually shaking with rage. "And if you think there is," she added, with a sudden inspiration, "You should speak to your sister Andromeda – a Black too, isn't she?" Bellatrix looked at her, frozen. "That's right," she went on recklessly, "Your _own_ sister told me that there is no difference between pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, and that I shouldn't let anyone – _anyone_ – tell me otherwise!" She screamed out the last words, and Bellatrix flinched backwards although she had brandished a whip at her. Lily felt surprised; the older witch seemed cowed and vulnerable at that moment.

Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the doubt and uncertainty vanished from her face, which twisted into a cold mask. "Andromeda is a fool," she said viciously. "She doesn't know what's good for her – she'll come to her senses, I'll see to that – and as for you," she said ferociously, "You will pay for what you said. How about – a little dose of pain?" Laughing madly, she raised her wand, and Lily shuddered, suddenly frightened, all bravado gone. _Have I just gotten Andromeda into trouble with her horrid older sister? And what is she going to do with me? Turn me into a toad, perhaps?_

"NO!" yelled Potter, and quickly ran to where she was standing. He stood in front of her, with his back to her, and his arms spread out, and faced Bellatrix. "You won't hurt her. To get to her, you have to get through me first!" She stood there, astounded, as Liz and Black moved behind Potter and spread out their arms as well. "Us, too," said Liz calmly, and Black nodded vigorously, his eyes narrowed and his expression angry.

Lily stood there silently, overwhelmed. Black and Potter were not even friends with her. They were fully aware what she thought of them, and their treatment of Severus never failed to annoy her. More often than not, she was telling them off for their childish behaviour, and in turn, they always found some or other way to get under her skin. Potter in particular infuriated her the most, with his pranks and cocky attitude, and the fact that he seemed to ace most of his classes without really trying, while she had to work hard for every mark. Black was in the same mould as Potter, but he was more impulsive and indifferent to the consequences of his actions.

Tonight, however, she had seen an entirely different side of James Potter. He had been as irritating and arrogant as ever, but he had been extremely chivalrous, making sure that they all stuck together whilst they investigated, and he had even complimented her (rather grudgingly, but she didn't really care) when she'd thought of the most logical thing to do as they'd debated on where to start. And here he was, yet again, shielding her from the pure-blood maniac that was Bellatrix Black, standing up for what he believed in, standing up for her… _No wonder Liz is friends with them_ , she thought… _Maybe they're not so bad after all_ …

She quickly focused on the scene at hand, with her friends standing in front of her, and she couldn't let them do that… "You lot… You really don't have to do that… Don't let her hurt you for my sake," she said softly, but Potter and Black didn't even budge, and Liz turned to her and whispered, "Don't worry, Lil… This is what friends do… Remember, you're not alone!"

Bellatrix laughed, a high-pitched, out-of-control sound that worried her even more. "Look at all these little Gryffindors, standing up for the Mudblood… How pathetic! Well – you children are brave, I'll give you that… But bravery alone is not enough to stop me! You see – I, Bellatrix Black, can perform magic you can only dream of, so do yourselves a favour and get out of the way so that I can have some fun with the Mudblood!" She pointed her wand at Potter, but he didn't even move. "Bring it on, then," he said, his voice steady.

"No – Potter – get out of the way," said Lily weakly. How could she let him take a curse meant for her? "No, Evans," he said tersely, his eyes never leaving Bellatrix's face. Behind her, one of the four figures moved forward. "Come on, Bella – we haven't got all night. Just have your fun so that we can leave," he said, his voice low and harsh.

"Shut up, dolt," said Bellatrix rudely. "Don't you understand? We aren't supposed to hurt the pure-bloods, it's only the Mudbloods that get a taste of our _very_ bitter medicine! And in case you haven't noticed, one of these kids is my cousin, and I don't want to hurt him, insufferable little twit though he may be! I'm in charge here – so you'll do well to keep your mouth shut!"

"Well – I don't care what you say, I'm going to curse the Mudblood if you're going to waste time chatting," said the other man arrogantly, and he moved forward. Bellatrix flicked her wand once, and in a trice, Lily felt her muscles go rigid; she had been placed under the Body-Bind curse again. However, Bellatrix must have performed another spell that kept them all standing upright, for neither of them fell backwards but remained still, like statues.

Bellatrix turned to face her offending henchman. "I said, stay," she said dangerously. He paused, uncertain, but it was a fleeting moment of indecision; he moved forward again. In a voice of forced calm, she addressed Lily, "Watch closely, filthy Mudblood, for you're next!" Pointing her wand to the man who was just raising his wand, she shouted, " _Crucio!_ "

Lily watched in horror as the other man collapsed to his feet, yelling loudly. He was now rolling on the floor, twitching horribly; it seemed as if he was in great pain, and she couldn't figure out why for the life of her, until she realized that Bellatrix's curse must still be in effect. She looked on in terror as the man emitted scream after scream, until Bellatrix withdrew her wand from him. His body relaxed at once, and lay at her feet, shaking uncontrollably. She looked up at Lily, a cruel smile on her face.

"You're next, Mudblood," she said softly, and with another flick of her wand, she lifted the curse she had placed on the four Gryffindors. "Couldn't have you try to escape when I gave you a demonstration, could I?" she said over the wheezing of the man who still lay at her feet. "And what fun is Cruciating you when you're immobilized? No, this should be even more amusing!" She pointed her wand at Lily once again, and Lily closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the pain… Any second now, she was going to be rolling on the floor just like the man…

But the pain never came. Instead, a lot of things happened at the same moment.

The door behind them flew open, and she opened her eyes to see a number of people rush into the room. Their wand-tips were alight, and she recognized them all; Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who were in the lead, followed closely by the fifth-year prefects, Frank Longbottom and Alice Rutherford, and bringing up the rear was Diane Goodwin, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, along with Head Girl Andromeda Black, whose expression was furious.

"Take cover," shouted Liz, and Lily obeyed immediately, and they all dived and lay against the floor. Lily felt giddy with relief; she hadn't been particularly keen to experience the pain curse from Bellatrix Black. The new arrivals immediately faced the villains who had attacked them, and she watched with wonder as Bellatrix was engaged in combat with the twins at the same time, and how she seemed to be able to match them both spell for spell, cackling loudly as they struggled against her. Behind them, she watched in horror as Alice fell after being hit by a spell, and Frank rushed to her side after Stunning the masked man he'd been duelling. Diane floored another of the goons, while Andromeda rushed to battle Alice's earlier opponent.

Next to her, Liz and Potter were holding down a struggling Sirius Black. "No, you idiot, we'll only get in the way! Stay down!" Liz yelled furiously over the din. Potter said, "Sirius, the twins are here, and so is Frank – they can handle it! And Dumbledore is probably on his way too!" Black stopped struggling at once, but his expression was defiant; it was clear that he wanted to join in, but the lack of ability to speak was making it inconvenient.

"STOP! Stop this now, Bella!"

They all quickly turned their attention to the battle, and Lily realized that it was Andromeda who had shouted. The bangs and lights ceased at once, and as the smoke cleared, Lily saw that the two Black sisters were standing in the middle of the room, their wands raised and pointed at each other, their faces holding identical expressions of rage. She watched as the Prewett twins struggled to their feet, and Alice seemed to have regained consciousness too; Frank was supporting her with one arm around her shoulder. Two of the masked figures were slowly getting up too, while the other two remained still on the floor.

"Andromeda… You dare to lift your own wand against me? Your own sister?" asked Bellatrix disbelievingly. Andromeda spoke, her voice shaking with suppressed rage, "I stand for what is right, Bella, and your ideology… It's flawed. There is _no_ difference between pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, and blood purity is exactly as it always was – utter nonsense!" She spat out the final words, her eyes never leaving her older sister's face.

Everyone in the room was now watching the standoff between the two sisters, mesmerized. _How like each other they look_ , thought Lily. She compared Andromeda's brown hair against Bellatrix's dark locks, and her grey eyes against her sister's brown ones. In spite of these obvious differences, however, the two resembled each other so much that had Andromeda been older, they would have even passed off as twins. It was hard to tell which face held more fury.

"Keep thinking like that, sweetheart, and you'll get blasted off the Black family tree!" spat Bellatrix. Andromeda grimaced. "If this is the ideology of the Black family, I'm better off without it," she said disdainfully. "You are a fool, Bella – mark my words, go along this path you've taken, and one day you'll regret it. And when that day comes, don't expect me to comfort you when you come crawling back to me." Lily shivered slightly; she had never heard Andromeda, or anyone for that matter, speak with so much contempt in their voice.

"Consider this a final warning, Andromeda," said Bellatrix spitefully, "If you don't come to your senses, you are no longer my sister." A pained expression came over Andromeda's face, and Lily felt a stab of sympathy towards her as she realized that she had something in common with the kind and beautiful head girl: they both had older sisters who hated them. A second later, Andromeda's face became smoothly clam again. "Well, that's a small price to pay for standing up for what I believe in," she said softly, her voice cold as ice.

Bellatrix's face contorted with fury, and she shouted, " _Pulsum!_ " A loud BANG exploded from the end of her wand, and Andromeda fell back on the ground. Lily screamed, and Bellatrix laughed mirthlessly. "You've made the wrong choice, Andromeda," she said malevolently. Turning to her companions, she yelled, "Time to go, come on!"

Together, before anyone else could move even a muscle, they all shouted, " _Atrufumus!_ " Black smoke billowed from their wands, and they couldn't see anything for a few seconds. Finally, someone shouted, " _Deflus!_ " and a powerful blast of air drove the smoke away. Her vision cleared; she looked around and realized that Bellatrix and her goons had vanished, and the only ones in the room were Frank, who was still supporting Alice; Diane and Fabian, who were helping Gideon to his feet, and Andromeda, who was still on the floor. Lily rushed to the Head Girl at once.

"Andromeda," she gasped, "Are you OK?" Andromeda shrugged off the helping hand Lily had offered, and pulled herself upright. "I've been better," she said, wincing slightly, clutching her stomach. Lily broke into speech immediately. "I'm sorry I got you into trouble with your sister, Andromeda," she said in a small voice. "I told her that you had told me that there was no difference between pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, and she attacked you because of it."

Andromeda chuckled. "Don't worry about it. This has nothing to do with you, Lily. Bella and I – we've had conflicting viewpoints for a few years now, and things just came to head tonight, that was all. You don't need to fret, dear," she added kindly, patting Lily's shoulder. Lily nodded in relief. "Bellatrix used a Silencing Charm on Black – er, Sirius," she corrected herself quickly. Liz, Potter and Black had arrived to where she was, and stood there silently. Andromeda sighed and pointed her wand at Black; a second later, he regained his speech.

"Stupid – bloody – knobhead!" he swore immediately, and Andromeda said, "Language, cousin. Perhaps it was better that you were struck dumb." Liz and Potter laughed, and an unwilling smile spread over Lily's face as well. Andromeda's smile faded, and she asked them, more seriously, "What were you doing so far from the school?"

Lily was dreading this moment most of all. Once everyone was all right, she knew that she'd be asked this question. She took a deep breath, but before she could begin to talk, Liz cut across her. "Can we all go to Professor Dumbledore, Andromeda? We have some information, and it'll be better if we explain it all to him."

Andromeda paused, considering; she looked around at Diane, who nodded slightly in agreement. Andromeda turned back to them and said, "Fine, we can all go to Professor Dumbledore. I only hope he won't punish you lot for going out of bounds like that." Lily closed her eyes again, imagining detention. Why, oh why, had she let her curiosity get the better of her? Why hadn't she done the smart thing and let the teachers handle things?

Liz smiled. "Good," she said, "And thank you for rescuing us, Andromeda. _All_ of you. Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't arrived when you did!" Potter said gratefully, "Yeah, thanks! Did Peter tell you to come to us?" Fabian nodded in assent, still supporting Gideon, who seemed to be bleeding from his nose. "Come here – Let me take care of that," said Diane, and pointing her wand at Gideon's nose, she said softly, " _Episkey!_ " The blood ceased to flow from his nose at once, and colour returned to his face. He nodded his thanks to his Quidditch captain, who grinned.

"Thank you, Cousin Andromeda," said Black, and she ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't mention it, Sirius, we're family, aren't we? You don't have to thank me." Lily looked up at her and said, "But we all do. If you hadn't come, we would've probably been turned to toads or bats by her – Bellatrix," she said feelingly, and turning to their rescuers, she said awkwardly, "Thank you all. You have no idea how much in the nick of time you all arrived." Frank and Diane nodded at her smilingly, and Fabian said, "By the looks of it, it wouldn't have been so bad if we'd arrived five minutes before we actually did, now, would it?" Lily smiled and said, "Yeah. Now – can we got to Professor Dumbledore?"

Their decision made, they all started to walk out of the house. They all walked back to the passage entrance behind the Three Broomsticks, which was now empty. One by one, they lowered themselves into the manhole, and started making their way back to Hogwarts. Lily slipped her hand through Andromeda's, who squeezed it reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry – I think Professor Dumbledore will go easy on you after what you've been through."

Lily nodded back in relief. "How did you find us?" she asked. "Well, Diane and I were playing Wizard's Chess in the Prefects' office – it was vacant, and we were taking a break from our N.E.W.T. revision," began Andromeda. "Anyway, halfway through the game, we heard a knock on the door, and Frank and Alice entered. Frank said that Fabian and Gideon were about to sneak out of the school because they thought a few of the Gryffindor first-years were in trouble. He was going to go with them, Alice was going with him, and he had just come to tell us that if he wasn't back in a couple of hours, we were to go to Professor Dumbledore and tell him to come to Hogsmeade at once.

"Well, naturally, we objected. If someone was in danger, we were going to come too. Frank protested, what if it was a false alarm? But we were having none of it. In the end, Alice said that if it wasn't a false alarm, it would be a good idea to have us with them, and Frank agreed. I sent a message to Professor Dumbledore, telling him that we were headed out of the school to rescue some students, and if it was anything we couldn't handle, we'd call for his help. Then we met the Prewett twins at Agrippa's portrait, and to my great surprise, they showed us a secret passage that they said led straight into Hogsmeade! I'm nearly at the end of my education, and I didn't know about this!

"Anyway, we all followed this passage to Hogsmeade, and once we were in the village, we started to look around for you lot. We found neither hide nor hair of you, but just as we were going along to the edge of the village, we saw a number of hooded figures coming out of an alleyway. I smelt a rat at once, and we hid until they were gone before entering the alleyway. Then we saw the house where dim lights were visible, and peeped in through a window; we knew we'd struck Galleons because I recognized Bellatrix at once, and there was someone rolling on the floor. That's when we stormed the house and found you all."

"Fab and Gid asked me if I could come with them," piped up Frank from ahead of them. His voice was soft and calm. "That first-year, Pettigrew, I think it was – had just come to them with an incredible tale… Apparently, Peter's friends had snuck out of the school following Lucius Malfoy. I knew at once that meant Malfoy was most likely up to no good, so I came along to see if I could help – and Alice came with us, too. We told Peter to stay put in the common room – he shouldn't be wandering around the castle at night, alone. Then we all took the passage, and you know the rest."

"Peter came up to us when we were making our way up from the kitchens," said Fabian from behind them. "He seemed even more nervous and anxious than usual, and he told us that James and Sirius hadn't returned from Hogsmeade. We were inclined to believe that those two berks were playing an amusing joke on their rather dim friend, but when he said that you and Liz were with them, we realized that it was serious. We took him back to the common room, and asked Frank if he was in. He agreed to come, and you know what happened after that…"

Lily nodded pensively. So, Peter had come through for them. She felt a rush of thankfulness towards the fat, watery-eyed boy. He hadn't been too keen to accompany them, but at least he'd made sure that help would arrive. He had snuck out to warn Fabian and Gideon, and she was sure that wandering around the castle alone wouldn't have been easy for him. Come to think of it, she too would've found it difficult…

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Lily was pondering over what Bellatrix had said. Was this how the rest of the Wizarding World viewed people like her? Would she be relegated to being second-class all her life? _In that case, it's a good thing there're decent people in the world,_ she thought, _like Andromeda and Liz… And James Potter too…_

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	11. Chapter 10

Thanks for the review, Linger Ember of The Ashes. Here is chapter ten. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Ten**

 **A bleak picture**

Andromeda and the four first-years stood in front of a gargoyle on the third floor. Fabian and Frank had taken Gideon and Alice to the Hospital Wing, and Diane had gone with them; most of them were part of the Quidditch team, after all, and Lily supposed that she wanted to make sure that they were all fine. That had left Andromeda to take the first-years to Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Right," said Andromeda, looking at the gargoyle, "Ice Mice." Lily looked on, astounded, as the gargoyle sprang to life and stepped aside to reveal a circular staircase. "Come on," said the Head Girl, and they all followed her and stepped on top of the staircase, which began to move. They travelled upwards until the staircase came to a stop in front of an oaken door. Andromeda knocked twice on it.

"Enter," called a tired voice from within. Andromeda opened the door, and they all stepped into the Headmaster's office. It was a large and beautiful circular room, and a number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom seemed to be snoozing gently in their frames. There was also a big, claw-footed desk, and, resting on a shelf behind it was an old Wizard's hat – _the Sorting Hat_ , thought Lily. Professor Dumbledore stood up, and conjured comfortable armchairs for them. They silently took a seat each, and Lily continued to look around.

On a perch behind the door rested a beautiful bird, with a red-gold plumage, a golden beak and talons. It let out a low, musical cry, and Liz said softly, "That's a phoenix, Lily." She nodded mutely, and Dumbledore said serenely, "Yes, that is correct, Miss Huntington. Phoenixes, Miss Evans, are wonderful birds – they are able to carry immensely heavy loads, their tears contain healing powers, and they can regenerate themselves when they grow old – they burst into flame when their time has come, and are quite literally born from the ashes – fire is their element. And in addition, they make _highly_ loyal and faithful pets."

Lily nodded, noting the information. Dumbledore turned to Andromeda, and addressed her. "Well, Miss Black – I was just about to leave for Hogsmeade, when I got your message that all students were safe, and that you all will return to the school in an hour… Now, may ask – what happened, Andromeda?"

Andromeda hesitated. Turning to them, she said, "Er – Professor, I think these students can explain better than me as to what was going on before we found them." Professor Dumbledore turned to them, and Lily felt as if his piercing, brilliant blue gaze was able to see through her. He didn't look angry, however, merely politely interested. Andromeda nodded at her encouragingly, and she took that as a positive sign to start talking.

She started at the beginning, how she and Liz had once followed Travers to the portrait of Agrippa, how they had made it their mission to find out what he was up to, how they had followed Malfoy there, again, earlier that night… How they had been stumped when he'd disappeared just like Travers, and how Potter and Black had told them of the secret passageway, even opening it…

To her annoyance, Potter interrupted her from then on, and talked about how they had all ventured into the passage… How Peter had opted to stay behind to warn Fabian and Gideon if they didn't return… How they had arrived in Hogsmeade and discovered a meeting between Bellatrix and a few more people, how they'd been caught and incapacitated, and how Bellatrix had questioned them… With a sympathetic glance at her, Potter told Dumbledore about how Bellatrix had insulted her, and how she had threatened to curse only her…

Liz interrupted at this point, and told the Headmaster about the pain curse, and how they all had tried to defend Lily… Andromeda squeezed Lily's hand at that point, sympathetically, reassuringly… Liz continued, she talked about the arrival of Andromeda and the rest, and briefly described the battle, which had ended after a standoff between the Black sisters… She looked at Andromeda, who sighed and indicated her to continue; silently indicating that it was all right if she described what exactly had been spoken, and Liz obliged… Then, Black concluded by saying that they had all made their way back to school through the passage, and that the others were now in the Hospital Wing.

Dumbledore, who had sat silently through this entire narrative, said, "Very well. Now, Miss Black, how did you know that these students were in danger?" At that, Andromeda briefly narrated the events of the night as she knew them; how she and Diane had accompanied Frank, Alice and the twins out of school; how she had notified him, the Headmaster, before leaving, and how they had found Lily and the rest… But the Head Girl suddenly stopped as she began to narrate the battle. Lily looked sideways at her, and to her horror, she saw that there were tears in Andromeda's eyes. All of her courage as she'd stood up to her sister seemed to have gone, and the Head Girl was struggling – and failing – to maintain her composure. She looked as upset and vulnerable as she had been cool and stoic earlier.

"Miss Black – you have nothing to be sorry about or ashamed of," said Dumbledore kindly. "You have done something that you should be extremely proud of, by leading a band of students to rescue your charges from people who would have harmed them. I know that your sister's words have distressed you very much –" at that, Andromeda gave a great sniff, "—but I repeat, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. You have made me extremely proud, Miss Black… _Extremely proud_. You risked your own life to protect those you're responsible for, and I know that standing up for what is right, when your sister is on the opposite side – must have been an extremely difficult thing to do; but nevertheless, you did, and that, my dear girl – _that_ is what makes all the difference." He reached out and patted her hand comfortingly, before turning to them.

"Now – Mr Potter, Mr Black… Miss Huntington, Miss Evans… You all were out of bounds, in Hogsmeade, that too – and in grave danger. Nevertheless," he said, and Lily was surprised to see his blue eyes twinkling at them, "You all found – accidentally as it may be – a house that was used as a hideout for Lord Voldemort's supporters, operating so close to Hogwarts – and in doing so, you have greatly helped the cause of those working against him tirelessly. As a result – there will be no punishment, and you all win Gryffindor twenty-five points each. Oh, and twenty-five for Mr Pettigrew as well," Potter and Black looked at each other with glee, but she exchanged a relieved look with Liz. Phew, no detention, she thought happily. She felt confused, though; who was Lord Voldemort? "However – I must stress the importance of remaining in safety within the walls of Gogwarts, and Iwould urge you to not go out wandering on your own – again," he said gravely, and Lily and Liz nodded vigorously in assent.

"That being said, for your rescuers – Mr Gideon Prewett, Mr Fabian Prewett, Mr Longbottom, Miss Rutherford and Miss Goodwin – I am awarding Gryffindor House fifty points apiece," Dumbledore continued, smiling serenely, and they felt ecstatic. Gryffindor would surely win the House Cup now!

"And you, Miss Black – for leading this rescue, stopping the battle, but more importantly, for standing up to do what was right – I award Slytherin House two hundred points." Andromeda looked at him disbelievingly, her mouth slightly open. "You were extremely brave, Miss Black, as were the rest of your party… You know, sometimes I think we Sort too soon – but if you chose to be in Slytherin, nothing more needs to be said," he added shrewdly. A lovely smile of mingled joy and sheepishness came over her face.

"So – Professor – is it true? Is You-Know-Who really gathering followers from Hogwarts?" asked Potter in a low voice. The atmosphere in the room changed; it became a lot tenser. Lily suddenly understood; _Lord Voldemort must be You-Know-Who's real name_ , she thought. She'd read about You-Know-Who in the Daily Prophet which Liz subscribed to, and she knew that he was someone who had a Slytherin-like ideology – in other words, pure-blood mania. Liz had told her that he was an evil dark wizard whose whereabouts were unknown.

Dumbledore sighed, and he looked weary all of a sudden. "I'm afraid so, James," he said. Lily felt surprised, since when did the Headmaster address students by first name? Dumbledore continued, "It seems like Lord Voldemort is now gathering followers even before they graduate from Hogwarts. This means that he is propounding his ideology to students even before they have set out to make something of their lives, so that they can join him immediately…"

An ominous silence followed these words; Black broke it by asking, "So what do you think the meeting tonight was about, Professor? Was it another recruiting meeting? And what I don't understand is – What was Cousin Bella _doing_ there?" he exclaimed. Dumbledore sighed and said, "I'm afraid, Mr Black, that your cousin – sister to Miss Black here – is probably a supporter of Lord Voldemort. He has been responsible for the deaths of a fair number of wizards and Muggles, and it is a real shame that people – even our very own students – are joining him."

"But why isn't anyone doing anything? Like the Ministry, for instance?" piped up Liz. "Well, Miss Huntington… Lord Voldemort operates in secret. No one knows where he is or what he is doing, and no one knows who is supporting him, and who isn't… It's not a good environment, you see. The Ministry has its work cut out for itself, and is working tirelessly to stop him and his supporters from gaining power," answered Dumbledore. He continued, "Did any of you actually see Mr Malfoy or Mr Travers or anyone you recognized, apart from Miss Bellatrix Black?" Lily thought for a moment before joining the others in shaking their heads dumbly; none of them had any proof about Malfoy's involvement.

"So – how do we stop people from joining him, Professor?" she asked softly. Dumbledore smiled at her and said, "Rest assured, Miss Evans. We will get there, I'm sure of it. Now – it's late, and you all have had a bad experience, exciting though it may have been. Miss Black – may I ask you to escort these students back to their common room?" Andromeda stood up, and her face was cool and composed once again. "Yes, Professor," she said simply. "Come on, you lot – bedtime!" she said to them all, and they stood up to follow her outside Dumbledore's office.

They walked back silently, each lost in their own thoughts. _So… This pure-blood maniac is the one who is the root cause of such an ideology_ , thought Lily… _What was his name now – Lord Voldemort, wasn't it? And he's been killing people? Well – the_ Daily Prophet _certainly kept a few details about him sketchy… And why does everyone call him You-Know-Who? Is he really so scary? I must discuss this with Severus…_

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The next two weeks after their Hogsmeade adventure grew quickly. Nothing much of note happened, apart from Potter and Black recounting their tales with increasing exaggeration. Peter's role was widely appreciated by Liz and Lily, and he flushed with pleasure every time someone mentioned that if it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't have had it so easy. Still, Lily found it simple to detach herself from all the attention she was getting, mainly with the exams so close.

The final Quidditch game of the season had been a close one, with the Gryffindor Chasers steadily building a lead of eighty points before their Seeker, Julie Perkins, took a Bludger in the head and was stretchered off the pitch; there was no reserve Seeker, and that made things very difficult for the Gryffindors, who had lost their previous game to Hufflepuff after the opposing Seeker had caught the Snitch with the teams level on points in terms of goals scored, making this match against Ravenclaw a must-win one, or else Slytherin or Ravenclaw would win the Quidditch Cup. But the six-player team rallied and the Chasers played some incredible Quidditch to score fifteen goals in ten minutes, and Lily and the others shouted themselves hoarse, cheering them on. However, the Ravenclaw Seeker caught the Snitch at that point, leaving the Gryffindors winners by eighty points, thereby winning the match but losing the Cup. There would be no victorious farewell for the graduating Diane Goodwin, who couldn't help shedding a few tears at the outcome. She had scored sixteen of Gryffindor's twenty-three goals, but even the skill of one of the most prolific Chasers Hogwarts had seen in the last century wasn't enough to overhaul Slytherin's superior lead.

Exam week began with Transfiguration; they had to turn a mouse into a snuff-box. Points were awarded for how pretty the snuff-box was, but taken away if it had a tail. Lily felt relieved; her snuff-box was a dull grey colour with a chequered pattern, but thankfully devoid of whiskers and tails. Beside her, Liz's snuff-box was ebony with a beautiful tortoiseshell pattern, but it was nowhere as exquisite as Black's, who had a silver snuff-box with a dog-like pattern, or Potter's, whose snuff-box was red, with a golden shield on the lid. She felt sure that she would pass, though.

Their Charms exam was fairly easy, though; Professor Flitwick called them in one by one and asked them to make a pineapple cartwheel across his desk, a task she accomplished within ten seconds, earning herself a huge bonus. She was sure she'd done well in Herbology and Astronomy, and she barely managed to pass her Flying test, doing the bare minimum (kicking-off, turning, diving and landing) that was needed. Potions too proved to be a piece of cake; she brewed the Forgetfulness Potion without making a single error, and was rewarded with another huge bonus by Professor Slughorn, who raved about her abilities, declaring that he'd never seen anyone without a magical background who was such a dab hand at his subject.

Their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam was very tricky; she was sure she got all definitions right, but she wasn't really sure if Dragon fire was more effective to destroy vampires, than using garlic. The rest of the exam went reasonably well, though, and she was sure that she would pass. Her last exam was History of Magic – and after one hour of answering questions about medieval witches and wizards, she was free… She celebrated this new freedom by going for a walk with Liz, Mary and Marlene to the lake after lunch. They whiled away the afternoon as they lay in the sun lazily, describing their Hogsmeade adventure to Marlene and Mary in more detail. The sun was still shining brightly as they made their way back into the Great Hall for dinner, only to find their path blocked by a small crowd of roughly ten other first-years.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " a voice shouted, and there was a sound of someone falling to the ground. She and the other girls quickly made their way to see who had cast her spell; to her chagrin, she saw Potter and Black with their wands out, laughing loudly, while Peter hovered excitedly around them. She looked down and saw them kicking and rolling the Body-Bound person around the ground; to her horror, she realized that it was Severus.

"Sev!" she shouted, and rushed forward, causing Potter and Black to turn to her immediately. "You prats! What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, her face red with fury. She whipped out her own wand, and pointing it at Severus, said, " _Finite!_ " The curse lifted off him at once, and she helped him to his feet; he seemed unhurt but livid, and he brandished his own wand, too – but she stopped him, rounding on Potter and Black instead.

"What do you think you're playing at?" she shouted, "Do you think you're being funny? He could've been hurt!" Potter smirked and said, "Hey, come on, Evans – we're just having some fun!" Black sniggered, and their utter lack of regret made her even more angry. "You bullies! Why did you curse him, what did he ever do to you?"

Potter's smirk grew wider, and he said, "It was all fun, Evans – we're just celebrating the end of exams by trying out the Body-Bind Curse – and he volunteered to be our guinea-pig… Well, not willingly, anyway…" A few of the surrounding watchers laughed, and Marlene and Mary seemed to be fighting back smiles, but she didn't it find it funny, and nor, apparently, did Liz.

"That's taking it too far, boys," said Liz reprovingly. "Come on – you can be boisterous, but you shouldn't attack other people!" Black just laughed, and addressed Severus derisively, "You're such a girl, Snape – can't even fight your own battles! You need these girls to rescue you all the time! You're pathetic!"

That did it. Black's unkind words were the final straw. Still restraining Severus, she yelled, "Enough! I actually thought for a few days that you two had at least a tiny shred of decency within yourselves… But it's clear that you don't! Toerags, both of you are… Now get out of my sight before I curse you myself!"

At that, Liz rushed to her side at once. "Calm down, Lil – and you two," she addressed Potter and Black, "Go away from here, now… Come on, just go…" They looked like they wanted to stay, but Liz's words seemed to have an effect on them; Black nudged Potter, and said to Peter, "C'mon, Pete…" Still laughing, they made their way to the Great Hall. The rest of the crowd followed them, chortling; Marlene and Mary gave her sympathetic smiles before going with the crowd, but Liz lingered until they were alone in the Entrance Hall.

"You OK?" Liz asked her. And in spite of her anger, she felt grateful to her friend for diffusing the situation so quickly and effectively. _Liz is certainly a wonderful best friend_ , she thought… _She knows when I'm about to explode with anger and she stopped that from happening… And even if she doesn't like Severus much, she is at least civil to him…_ "Yes, thanks to you," she answered Liz, smiling at her. Liz nodded faintly. They both turned to Severus.

"That Potter – one of these days – one of these days I'm going to jinx him so badly that he's going to go home crying for his mother!" he exclaimed. He still looked livid, and Lily knew that beneath the anger and humiliation of being body-bound and bullied, he hated the fact that he had, yet again, been rescued by her from the malevolent clutches of Potter and Black. She patted his shoulder absently. "Come on, Sev – they're idiots, and you don't have to stoop to their level. Ignore them…"

He seemed to be calming down. At last, he looked at her directly. "Thank you, Lily," he said shortly. She smiled. "You don't have to thank me," she said happily. He didn't smile. "Yes, I do. Not just for saving me… But for standing up for me, too. You antagonized people from your own House – to stand up for me, and I'm in Slytherin… Do you realize how much that means to me?" She noted that he seemed a little bit overcome, and quickly said, "Come on… I don't care what House people belong to, I will always stand up for what's right. You know that about me, Sev," she patted his arm awkwardly, and he nodded, smiling once again.

Liz, who had watched this exchange silently, now said, "I'll see you at dinner, Lil, shall I?" Before she could respond, Severus turned to her and said, "Thank you too, Huntington, for sending them away and keeping her –" he looked at her, "—in check… You know, as much as I'd have loved to see those pricks on the wrong end of Lily's curses, I'm actually glad that she never got the chance… Because, to be honest, I don't think I'd wish my worst enemy to be on the receiving end of her temper…"

"Hey!" she said, a little indignantly, but Liz grinned and said, "Yeah, that's what I thought too. Anytime, Snape… And stay out of their way from now on, OK?" He nodded, but Lily could see scepticism in his eyes, and she was sure that he had no intention of doing so. She hoped that it wouldn't be a long campaign of who gets who in trouble; Severus was a champion when it came to holding a grudge.

He waved to them once before going into the Great Hall for dinner. Liz and Lily exchanged a look, and Lily said sincerely, "Thanks." Liz smiled slightly and nodded at her, before leading the way to the Great Hall. She ate dinner in almost-silence, speaking only when spoken to, and ignoring Potter and Black completely, and once or twice even shot an angry glance in Peter's general direction… _He should control his friends, but he just follows them around like a faithful little puppy… Idiot_ , she though derisively… _Doesn't he have an opinion of his own?_

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Their trunks were packed, the last of their possessions were collected from various odd places, and they were all going down to the Leaving Feast; it was their final evening at Hogwarts. Their exam results had come out the day before, and Lily had discovered, to her great surprise, that she was third in their year based on scores. She had achieved top marks in all her exams, and with her bonuses in Potions and Charms, she had leapfrogged Liz, Black and Severus to third place, only behind Roger Hathaway and Potter. The fact that Potter had beaten her put a bit of a damper in her happiness, but she shrugged it off when Liz pointed out that she still had six more years to beat him.

She felt a little sad to leaving Hogwarts, even if it was for two months. Going home meant seeing Petunia on a daily basis, and although Lily knew that her sister was unkind to her only because she was jealous of her magical abilities, she couldn't understand how Petunia was unable to fathom that her being born with magic was not her fault. Lily noted sadly that her sister's attitude affected her negatively all the time, and that there was a significant part of her that wished that Petunia would eventually find a way to be OK with her being a witch.

Still, her parents had told her that they would be going on a tour of Belgium and the Netherlands for two weeks during the summer, and she was definitely looking forward to that, even if it meant spending time with Petunia. To add to that, once they returned to England, Liz was going to come over to her house for a week, and they were both going to go over to Liz's for another week. I'm going to have fun over the summer, she thought, her spirits lifting immediately…

However, before the feast began, Professor Dumbledore stood up. The Hall grew silent at once, and Dumbledore smiled at them all serenely and said, "The end – of another year."

Lily looked around her; every eye was on the Headmaster. She quickly focused her attention on him, too.

"Well – this has certainly been an interesting year, all of you. To those who will graduate today, I wish you – on behalf of the rest of the staff, and the other students – all the best for your future endeavours. Every year, young and skilled witches and wizards graduate from this school, and I hope you will use your talent to help rather than harm others.

"As most of you know, the wizard called Lord Voldemort continues to be elusive and at large. He is responsible for the deaths of more than a hundred people – wizards, witches and Muggles alike, and for injuring and maiming countless others. Wizardkind has never seen destruction of such an order since the mid-forties, when another dark wizard sought to gain power.

"The Ministry of Magic is working tirelessly against Lord Voldemort, who seems to be fuelled by a blood supremacy agenda. I implore you all to not be influenced by this; his sole motivation is to gain power, and nothing else. He will do and say anything to gain followers and supporters. I urge you all to stay safe and vigilant. I also urge you to do what is right, by opposing and not joining Lord Voldemort. Use your skills to support the Ministry so that peace is restored in the wizarding community once again."

Lily shivered; Dumbledore had painted a bleak picture of what lay outside the safe walls of Hogwarts. Still, she was hopeful; with the Ministry and the calming, reassuring presence of their Headmaster, she felt sure that Voldemort will be defeated one day. She looked at the Slytherin table and was surprised to see Malfoy, Travers, and a few other Slytherins talking amongst themselves, clearly not paying attention to Dumbledore's words. Were they really thinking of joining Voldemort to support the pure-blood agenda?

Dumbledore was speaking again. "As is the tradition of the Leaving Feast, this is where our Houses stand… At fourth place, Ravenclaw, with three hundred and ninety-eight points; at third place, Hufflepuff, with four hundred and one points; at second place, Gryffindor, with four hundred and sixteen points – yes, there was close competition this year – and in first place, the House Cup winners – Slytherin, with four hundred and twenty-four points!"

Lily felt sad as the Slytherins stood up to yell and cheer, though a tiny part of her felt happy for Severus (He _had_ won a lot of points for them through working hard in class, hadn't he?) and Andromeda; she was certain that the Head Girl winning two hundred points on her own had been a decisive factor in the result. A few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs applauded the Slytherins politely and sportingly, but the entire Gryffindor table sat silently, with low spirits. Dumbledore waved his hands, and the formerly white decorations changed colour to green and silver; a huge banner with the Slytherin serpent appeared too. He waved his hands again, and food and drink magically appeared on all four House tables.

The feast was sumptuous, and she managed to forget her animosity with Potter and Black by being civil to them, mostly preferring to speak to the girls and Remus, who told her that he had no plans as such over the summer, other than going to Potter's place for a week or so. She hoped inwardly that Remus wouldn't be influenced by Potter and Black and their utterly childish behaviour. At last, when the last of the dessert had vanished and the talking had decreased to a dull hum, Dumbledore dismissed the school, after reminding them to catch the train home the next day.

 _I'm going to make sure that we win the House Cup next year_ , she decided firmly to herself. _And I'm going to beat Potter… These are my two objectives for next year_. She obsessed these thoughts, and they remained in her head till all through the next day, as the train pulled into platform nine-and-three-quarters the next evening, and even as they all stepped through the enchanted barrier back into the Muggle World.

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	12. Chapter 11

Hey all, here is chapter eleven. Readers, please review. Thanks for your support!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Letters – I**

 _Dear Lily,_

 _Hope you're having fun in Belgium! I know it's been only about ten days since school ended, but I'm already missing you like mad…_

 _It is a bit of a bummer that I leave for Spain on the same day you return to England. I wish we were out of the country at the same time as you were, but Mum and Dad couldn't get off of work during this week… With the war growing more and more severe, the Ministry needs all hands on deck. At least that's what Dad says – but personally, I think he's a little miffed that he's unable to go to the French Riviera like he wanted to, but Mum won that argument! She really wanted to go to Spain, and Dad gave in in the end._

 _I don't know if you're getting the_ Daily Prophet _there, so I'm going to give you some news – it's a bit of a sodden atmosphere in England, what with this war and all. People are starting to get spooked, and the Ministry is sending out leaflets encouraging everyone to be indoors after dusk, and to put protective spells over our houses. Old houses like ours have no problems – the wards we have are ancient and complex magic, and have held firm for a really, really long time, so I don't think we need to worry._

 _I was at James's the other day. It was a Sunday, and he'd invited me, Marlene, Peter, Remus and Black to have a day of fun. We went for a picnic in the woods behind their house with his Mum and Dad – it was wonderful! The woods were really beautiful and tranquil, and we went to a clearing by a lake and spent most of the day there playing three-a-side Quidditch. James is really good, he paired up with Peter and Marlene, and me and Black and Remus just lost to them by a very narrow margin; then Black and he got into an arm-wrestling match, which was declared a tie after fifteen,_ very _boring minutes!_

 _The Potters – James's parents, that is – are very nice and hospitable people. Apparently Marlene and James are very old friends, and she's been over at their place quite a few times. To tell you the truth, I've been to their house only once before, at a Christmas party when I was nine. It was really a bit of a shock to find out that Mum and James's Mum are old friends – though that was mainly because Mrs Potter used to work as a Healer at St Mungo's until last year, and Mum's spent quite a bit of time there owing to injuries. She really is a sweet lady; you'd have loved her had you met her – but then again, she spoils James to no end!_

 _Incidentally, did you know that Marlene's got an older sister as_ well _as an older brother? She didn't even tell us! Me and Mary were at her place yesterday, and we met them. Her sister's working as a trainee in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – a really good job for someone who graduated only a year ago – and her brother is currently in the Appleby Arrows Quidditch team, though he's a reserve at the moment. I was so jealous when I found out – I've_ always _wanted an older sister or brother!_

 _Mary and Marlene were asking about you, and we're planning a party at my place in July – after we return from Spain, that is. You'll be there, won't you? It'll be fun – I'm already so excited!_

 _Anyway, hope you're enjoying yourself. Say hi to your parents for me, and give Petunia a shove from me as well!_

 _Love,_

 _Liz_

XXXXX

 _Dear Liz,_

 _It was so good to receive your letter! I'm actually having the time of my life here in Belgium – it really is a beautiful country, and our tour guide said that we picked the best possible time to visit!_

 _We landed in Brussels, the capital, about a week ago. We roamed around Parc du Cinquantenaire (not sure if this is the correct spelling), and it has got a really beautiful arch and garden. Did you know that it was built to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian Independence? I really miss studying Muggle History – it's very interesting, and our guide was really knowledgeable. She even took us to a place called the St. Hubert Gallery – my word, you wouldn't believe the variety of chocolates that they have! I know you say that Wizarding sweets are the best, but I'm sure you'll change your mind after eating the Muggle chocolates I'm bringing back from here!_

 _We went to Ghent next, and I loved the place – it has all these tall buildings and bridges. There's an old castle nearby, too – Gravensteen castle, built during the time of the Crusades, religious medieval wars from Muggle history. I really must make it a point to ask Professor Binns if Muggle and Wizarding history is in any way related, it's so fascinating! Anyway, I didn't like the castle so much, it was filled with a lot of machines used to torture people, and it really gave me a creepy and melancholy sort of feeling._

 _We're in Burges now, and I spent most of today walking along the river. We leave for the Netherlands tomorrow – I really hope it'll be just as good! Petunia hasn't been so bad on this trip; I mean, she enjoyed herself in Brussels and was delighted overall with the St. Hubert Gallery, but we haven't really spoken much. I hope that she'll be in a good enough mood by the end of our trip, following which I can at least try to talk to her. She doesn't mind sharing a room with me, though; she merely said, "I guess I'm stuck with the freak." I won't pretend that didn't hurt, but apart from that, she hasn't really said anything insulting – for now._

 _Anyway, it seems like you're having a really good time! The trip to the Potters – well, I'm glad you had fun, given how Potter and Black behave in school, but you're right, they aren't bad people – they are just a bit too big for their shoes. And it sounds like Potter's parents have really pampered him, too – but hey, who am I to comment? I don't even know them, and they must be really nice for you to speak of them like that!_

 _Marlene has an older sister –_ and _an older brother? I can't believe that never came up! A sister in the Ministry and a brother who plays Quidditch – I'm sure that's an exciting life! And how's Mary doing? About your party plan – of course, count me in. Mum and Dad say I can come, and they're ready to drive me too, but is it all right if I just travel by fire – like last time? It'll take them a really long time to drive to your house and back._

 _It's really disturbing to learn about the war. I'm going to make it a point to subscribe to the_ Daily Prophet _when I return – I really must get a clear picture of what is going on in the Magical World. Stay safe, Liz, and make sure you heed to what the leaflet says. My best to your parents – hope they're fine._

 _Have fun in Spain!_

 _Love,_

 _Lily_

XXXXX

 _Dear Lily,_

 _It's good to hear from you at last; I thought Gerulus – this stupid little owl that takes far too long to deliver a letter – had lost his way or something. I mean, he took really long to return with your letter – it should've taken him a day to travel to you, but he took two or three – I guess that's because I wrote only 'Brussels' on the envelope, and he really had to look for you all over the city. It's good that you told me you're going to the Netherlands – I hope Gerulus finds you while you're in Amsterdam, or he'll just return to me._

 _Anyway, it was really interesting to read about all these places you've been to. Belgium sounds like a really nice place – I'd love to visit the country one day. My goodness, you're such a swot, Lily – you're on vacation, and you're wondering if Muggle and Wizarding histories are related! And Muggle chocolates competing with Wizard sweets? Really? There's no competition, Lil – but if you're bringing some back for me, I'm fine with judging which ones are better!_

 _About the Potters – well, like I said, they're nothing like James. They're sweeter and way nicer than him, and that's not all – they're just as noble and chivalrous, and they too oppose blood purity, in spite of being one of the last pureblood families that still survive to this day. They're a very well-respected family, and Mr Potter is currently Head Auror – he has a lot of influence in the Ministry, even more than Dad does, and he is one of the main reasons that the war isn't out of control, at least according to Mum and Dad._

 _I'm in touch with Black and James as well, I received letters from them both the other day. James is bored, stuck at home – his Dad works around the clock, and his Mum makes him do all his homework – but he says he's reading a load of old spellbooks in his library at home, and practising flying every day. He really wants to make it to the Quidditch team this year, seeing that Diane Goodwin has graduated, and he wants to play as Chaser. I think I'll try out as well, but I prefer the Seeker's role – unfortunately, that position isn't vacant at the moment, so for now, Chaser it is!_

 _Black's having a really hard time at home. He said in his last letter that his mother wasn't speaking to him because he got Sorted into Gryffindor, and his Dad keeps demanding every other day that he be re-Sorted. I'm not sure I understand – what's the problem if your son is in a House that wasn't yours? Does it really matter so much? Mum takes it very seriously, too – what is with all these Mums?_

 _Anyway, Black also said that Remus likes to hang around with them all. They were all at Peter's house the other day – and they had a lot of fun playing Exploding Snap; even Peter's Mum joined them. It's been really rainy for the past few days; I hope it'll be sunnier when you all come over! Marlene and I visited Mary yesterday, and her Mum sat us down and asked us all about ourselves. It was rather like an interview, but Mrs MacDonald made us these macaroons, and they were absolutely delicious! I really wish you were here, we had a fun afternoon._

 _About Petunia – Lil, I know she's your sister and all, but you really don't have to take all of her insults lying down. From what you say, she can be really unkind at times, and you shouldn't be like a doormat that she can walk all over – if you don't like what she says, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. I'm sure your parents won't mind if you do that._

 _I'm leaving for Spain in a week, so just send Gerulus back to my address in Southampton. I'm sure he'll make it before we leave. I'm not sure where in Spain I'll be on what date, and it's a ten-day trip, so I'll just use a post-owl in Madrid or Barcelona (I know we're going to these two places for sure) to send you my next letter. See you when I get back! And of course you're travelling by fire, you idiot – do you even need to ask?_

 _How was Amsterdam? Did you visit any other places in the Netherlands?_

 _Love,_

 _Liz_

XXXXX

 _Dear Liz,_

 _Haha – don't blame your owl, he really is such a cute little thing! And he's so efficient – I'm sure finding me in a city as big as Brussels or Amsterdam isn't exactly a breeze!_

 _Amsterdam is a completely different city than Brussels or any other place in Belgium so far. You see, most of the city (and the country) is below sea level (hence the name – Nether-lands, the land of the nether-world), and there are all this quaint little walls called 'dykes' that keep the sea at bay during high tides. We saw the Van Gogh museum – he was a renowned Muggle painter – and his paintings are awfully good, you should certainly see them if you ever come here! We even explored the canals by water-taxi – would you believe that most of the city is built on water?_

 _We then proceeded to Utrecht and saw the Kasteel de Haar, a medieval castle with beautiful gardens. Just today, we arrived in Rotterdam – the final part of our trip. We're planning to take a ferry home in two days, and we'll also be visiting my aunt and uncle – sister to my Mum – in London for a couple of days before going home. It's been a smashing trip so far!_

 _Wow – it sounds like Mr Potter has a really important job! As long as we've got him, I'm not too worried about the war, I guess, and it was sure nice to know that the Potters, too, don't support this blood purity rubbish. If Potter hadn't been such an arrogant boy, I may even be friends with him – but Severus hates him, and Potter is so mean to him – so I think that's unlikely. I haven't heard from Severus for over a month now. He said he would write, but he seems to be enjoying himself at his friend's house. I forget which one had invited him over, but I'll certainly see him when I get back home!_

 _It's sad to hear about Black, though. I can't imagine my parents being anything other than proud of me for even attending Hogwarts for that matter – so it must be terrible to have parents who have a go at you every day. No wonder he hangs around with Potter and Marlene so much – I guess it's a welcome respite from his Mum and Dad. And incidentally, if you're in touch with him, can you ask him how I can get in touch with Andromeda? I'd really like to send her a letter, too – she was so nice to me throughout last year!_

 _Ahh – I was hoping Remus wouldn't get under Potter's influence, but I guess it's a lost cause, now that he's been to his house and everything, and based on what you say, enjoyed himself. Incidentally, does Peter talk more than two sentences in front of you? He's so shy – but I think he's a good person, though I wish he wouldn't follow Potter and Black around like a little puppy. And Mrs MacDonald sounds really nice! I'll write to Mary and Marlene once I'm home, and I'll even invite them over – should be fun, right?_

 _About Petunia – well, she hasn't behaved badly with me, you know – I mean, she's been civil at least. I hope one day we'll go back to being close – I'd like that, I really would._

 _Write to me from Spain – and I'll see you when you get back – and thanks about the fire connection, it's a huge relief to not ask Dad to drive me all the way to Southampton._

 _Love,_

 _Lily_

XXXXX

 _Dear Lily,_

 _Spain – is – amazing! We were in Madrid for the past four days, and we're now in Valencia – we travel to Barcelona tomorrow and then back to England._

 _I'm having the best time here! Dad's got a cousin who lives in Madrid, and her children attend Beauxbatons Academy – that's another magical school in France. They were home for the summer, though, so we spent a lot of time playing Exploding Snap, Gobstones and single-player Quidditch in my Aunt's back garden. Aunt Carol's really nice – she was thrilled to have us, because Uncle Rodrigo's job in the Spanish Ministry of Magic makes it really tough for him to take a vacation, while Aunt Carol works as a dress robe designer – she showed us a few of her latest designs, and they were exquisite! Plus, Mum and Dad are busy, too, so I haven't seen Aunt Carol's family for three years._

 _My cousins – Pablo and Gloria – they're twins, and they're both fourteen. They took us all over Madrid, and we saw the Madrid Royal Palace, home to the Muggle King and Queen (I know, weird, right), and the Museo Reina Sofia, which is an art museum that contains works by Alfonso Perez, a very prominent Wizarding artist who created a potion that allowed even wall paintings to move and look around them. Incidentally, only wizards can see his paintings move – for Muggles, they remain static!_

 _We spent an entire day with the Madrid Guerreros (warriors, I think it means) – that's the Quidditch team from Madrid – it was amazing! They have a huge, enormous stadium on the outskirts of Madrid – it's called the Estadio Jose Martinez, named after one of the greatest Chasers to have ever played for the Guerreros and for Spain, back in the 1960s. Mum arranged this visit; she knows a few players who used to play for the Guerreros a few years ago – and it was wonderful to talk to all those incredible Quidditch players, you know! I've decided – Seeker or no Seeker, I'm definitely going to try out for the team this year._

 _We travelled to Valencia after that, and we saw a few museums there, too – to be honest, I'm getting a little bored with all these museums. But then again, we bought a lot of oranges – Valencia is famous for those, and with a little magic, they can be made to last for as long as a year. Cool, eh? I got really excited when Mum told me that we were going to visit the Barcelona Caballeros (knights, I believe) Quidditch team. They've got a huge rivalry with the Guerreros – these two teams are the best in Spain, and keep winning the League (La Liga de Quidditch) in alternate years!_

 _Well – I think Remus is fine with Potter and Black and Peter. He's a bit of a loner, see? I think it'll do him good to be with the others. And Snape not writing to you is surprising – I guess he must be busy with his 'friends'. I told my parents the names of the Slytherin boys in our year, and they have warned me to steer clear of them. They come from old Wizarding families who are well-known supporters of blood purity, and their ideology has rubbed off on their children. I'd advise you to be careful with Snape – if he spends too much time with them, he'll end up becoming just like them!_

 _Don't bother replying to this letter – by the time you get it, we'll be leaving Barcelona! I'll see you in a week at your place, then – following which we'll be at my house – for the party! I can't wait!_

 _Love,_

 _Liz_

 _P.S.: Sirius said he'll write to you and attach Andromeda's address; he too isn't quite sure what it is, especially after the squabbles that are going on in their family between Andromeda and Bellatrix._

XXXXX

 _Evans –_

 _How've you been? Hunt told us you've been wandering around in continental Europe, and wondering about all of its historical significance. Fun way to spend your vacation, isn't it?_

 _Anyway, it was unfortunate that you missed the little picnic we had at my house about a month ago. I'm pretty sure we'd have had a lot of fun – and I could've should you why the four of us – Me, Sirius, Pete and Remus – are all such fun people (yeah, before you ask, Remus loves hanging around with us!). It would've been our chance to show you that your choice of friends can be better than that greasy git Snivellus!_

 _Still, I guess we'll meet you at Hunt's after she returns from Spain. I'm not sure she told you, but the four of us have also been invited to her little party, and I'm sure we'll have fun with you! See you then!_

 _James Potter_

 _P.S.: Evans – this is Sirius Black. I'm enclosing a note with this letter that contains Andromeda's address. Hunt told us you wanted to get in touch with her – so there you go! I was actually going to write to you, but James insisted that he do it._

 _S. B._

XXXXX

 _Potter –_

 _I've been well, thank you. Yeah, I was (and still am) interested in Muggle and Wizarding history and how they're intertwined with each other (you'd know that if you didn't spend most of your time in History of Magic snoozing away!). Yes, Liz told me about the picnic – I'm glad you all had fun, and I'll try to make it the next time you have it – in the next summer holidays, perhaps?_

 _It's a shame Remus is now with you three (I'm kidding) – I felt he was the most sincere of you all. Don't make him too much like yourselves, OK? And my friends are my own, so I'd advise you to not give me tips on who I should be friends with. And stop calling Severus by that stupid nickname! You know, for someone who has very kind parents (Liz told me about your Mum and Dad) you can be really cruel at times._

 _See you at Liz's party, then._

 _Lily Evans_

 _P.S.: Black – thanks for Andromeda's address, I really appreciate it._

 _L. E._

XXXXX

 _Dear Andromeda,_

 _I hope everything is all right with you. I'm writing to you to thank you for all of your help during my first year at Hogwarts – it was very reassuring to know that the Head Girl liked me, and was willing to protect me from harm, especially seeing that it was my fault for getting into such a situation in the first place!_

 _I'm very grateful to you, Andromeda. You were the first person to tell me that parentage didn't matter in a way that I actually believed it. It was a wonderful gesture – you really didn't have to do that, helping out a random first year – so I value it even more!_

 _I hope you don't mind me writing to you, it was awfully cheeky on my part. If you are OK with it, is it all right if I write to you occasionally?_

 _Yours affectionately,_

 _Lily Evans_

 _P.S.: Sirius gave me your address so that I could write to you._

XXXXX

 _Dear Lily,_

 _I must admit that it was rather surprising to receive your letter. I seem to have made quite an impression on you!_

 _I'm living in London at the moment, you know – I just got a job at the Ministry, in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, as a Trainee in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. It's an interesting job, I only started two weeks ago, and I'm having a lot of fun. If you remember (though I know you'd rather not, sorry about that), I fixed your teeth nearly a year ago – well, that's related to the kind of magic we do here in the Reversal Squad._

 _I meant what I said, sweetheart. Don't ever think you're second class just because your parents are Muggles, because you're not. You're a wonderful person, and I'm sure you'll grow up to be a very powerful witch. Concentrate on your lessons, and don't get too much into trouble with the Slytherins – they can be nasty._

 _It isn't cheeky at all, for you to write to me. By all means, continue to do so when you feel like it – though I'm not sure how frequently I can respond, what with this job and all._

 _Yours affectionately,_

 _Andromeda_

 _P.S.: I know that Sirius can be a real berk at times, but underneath that exterior is a boy with a heart of gold. He's a good sort, and I hope one day you'll be friends with him._

XXXXX

 _Dear Lily,_

 _I know we just saw each other last week, but I feel like we didn't really have time to talk! I've finished all the homework, by the way – that History of Magic essay Binns gave us took me the most time, but I'm pretty satisfied with it._

 _I know I wasn't really at home during the past month, and we only saw each other twice, but it was good to see you outside of school again – just like old times! There's so much I wanted to tell you, but we didn't have time for that, so here goes._

 _As you know, I went to Pernicus Mulciber's place first, followed by Tristan Wilkes's, Evan Rosier's and Bruno Avery's after that. I tell you, Lily – they all live in these impressive medieval manor houses. I was at each one's place for a week, and my – we had a lot of fun. Their parents don't seem to be too concerned about this war, though – you see, all of them are purebloods. They were all aristocratic and regal people. We even played Quidditch a couple of times, though I positively hated it._

 _Anyway, you'll never guess what happened – I ran into Petunia yesterday! She recognized me, but for some reason she seemed a bit afraid, and she just gave me an angry look and stalked away. Whatever did you do to her? Do tell me, I'm very curious to know!_

 _How is it at the Huntington's? You said there was going to be a party – and all of you Gryffindors are going to be there, right? Well – have a good time, and if you see Potter and Black, make sure to give them a couple of punches from me. They're such gits!_

 _I'm planning to do my shopping in Diagon Alley next Wednesday. Is there a chance you could come then, too? If not, see you on September the First!_

 _Your friend,_

 _Severus_

XXXXX

 _Dear Sev,_

 _It's nice to hear from you after all of, er – two weeks, was it? Anyway, I'm glad you're done with your homework, because I was having a few difficulties with the essay Professor Slughorn has set us, and I'll need your help with it; I think he's taken a liking to me, and I really don't want to mess that up!_

 _Well, I'm glad you had fun at your friends' homes. They're not worried about the war, you say? Well – given their history, I'm not really surprised. I hope they're not obsessed with this pureblood versus Muggleborn thing, though – and I hope you won't think like that, either; after all, you were the one who said it makes no difference, being a Muggleborn – but as I've found out in school, it isn't exactly like that._

 _Well, the party took place yesterday – Liz had invited me, Marlene, Mary and the boys over. Of course, with Potter and Black around, trouble isn't really very far, and after they spiked my pumpkin juice with salt, I made them sit down and drink every last drop of my juice. They're real prats, Sev – and I enjoyed bullying them for a change – but if the rest of the girls hadn't backed me up, I probably wouldn't have done it!_

 _About Tuney – well, Liz was at my house a couple of weeks ago, and we hadn't really told Tuney that we weren't allowed to do magic outside of school (I know, that was fun!) so we got a toy lizard and set it on her, drew our wands and pretended that we were putting some kind of spell on it. It worked; the lizard moved with clockwork, but she panicked so much that she didn't realize that – it served her right for calling us freaks all the time! It was all Liz's idea – she can be devilishly clever! My parents weren't pleased, and they sent us to bed only after giving us bread and cheese for dinner as a punishment, but it was all worth it. I think that's why she was scared of you!_

 _Oh, I'm sorry, Sev; Liz and I did our shopping in Diagon Alley last week. Her parents are insisting that I spend the rest of the vacation here at Huntington Cottage, and my parents are fine with that, so I'll see you on September the First at Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters!_

 _Take care, and don't get into too much trouble with your Dad!_

 _Best,_

 _Lily_

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 **Author's Note:** I'd like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people for reading this story and their continued support. Firstly, thanks to Celine Wilde, abhishekbjoshi, NatNicole and Lingering Ember Of The Ashes for your reviews and for reading this story!

I'd like to thank some people who unfortunately don't have accounts on this website; so I'm just going to write their initials and hope that they'll understand that I'm referring to them.

Thank you EK for being my main reviewer and constantly pestering me to write more and telling me that I was good at it, it certainly boosted my ego! Thank you, AB, for your valuable feedback and also for keeping my ego in check, haha. Thanks to my sister AB (yeah, there's another one) and my little cousin KG (who gets angry if I take a break from writing), my friends SB, NA, GJ and DG for reading it and giving me valuable feedback… And finally, thanks to mysafarnama for letting me borrow stuff from your blog; I think you'll like this chapter!

A big thank you to you all, and please keep reading!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	13. Chapter 12

Hi everyone, here is chapter twelve. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twelve**

" **A deal is a deal."**

"Come on, Liz – dragons win hands down!" exclaimed Marlene. Mary nodded vigorously from next to her.

"Not a chance – the giant squid could beat them quite easily," said Liz, unruffled. Lily just sat there silently; magical creatures were not her area of expertise. They were travelling to Hogwarts, and, having eaten their way through a number of pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes, Mary, Marlene and Liz had entered a heated debate on dragons versus the Hogwarts giant squid.

"Look, Liz – the Welsh Green spits fire hot enough to melt rocks and boulders! There's every chance that it can easily evaporate water!" said Mary. Liz snorted.

"So what? The giant squid has strong skin – it can block fire!" she said. Marlene and Mary laughed.

"You're kidding, right? Its skin is so brittle that even wood can pierce it!" said Marlene.

"But it can still hold up against fire," Liz countered, undeterred. "Look, the skin may break due to physical damage, but with its water habitat, the giant squid will be unaffected by fire. There's no way a dragon can harm it!"

Mary threw up her hands. "Come on, Liz – the giant squid cannot stand the sunlight, for heaven's sake!" she said, a little exasperatedly.

"So? Sunlight isn't fire, is it?" said Liz stubbornly. Marlene turned to Lily.

"Lil – why don't you tell her she's being ridiculous? Dragons can easily beat the stupid giant squid! What do you think?"

Completely thrown, she surveyed Mary, Liz and Marlene looking at her expectantly. She could feel herself blushing a little. She didn't know much about dragons and giant squids, but she didn't want to display her ignorance openly. "We-e-ll," she stalled, but was spared from the necessity of answering as their compartment door opened. She felt a momentary twinge of relief but it was before she saw who it was that had entered their compartment – she looked up, mildly irritated, as Potter, Black and Remus rushed in, panting, with Peter in tow.

"OK – so what have you clowns done this time?" asked Liz knowingly. They waited silently until the boys caught their breath; Peter looked nervously excited, Remus looked amused, but Potter and Black were positively quivering with delight. Finally, Black spoke.

"Well – we just started the year with a prank!" he said, and began to laugh. Mary and Marlene smiled, and Lily asked, "What did you do, Black? Did you spike someone else's pumpkin juice with salt? Tell me who it was, I'll make sure they force-feed it to you." Liz laughed at that, and Black went silent at once before facing her.

"We never play the same pranks twice," he said, making a face, "We're all about originality!" Potter puffed out his chest proudly. "That's right, Evans – besides, this was even better than spiking someone's pumpkin juice!" He and Black started to laugh uncontrollably again, and this time, even Remus chuckled.

"OK – that's enough laughing," said Marlene firmly, "Tell us what you did!" They waited till Black and Potter's laughs subsided, and Potter said, "Well – we met a certain Slytherin boy when he was on the way back from the bathroom –"

"How do you know he was in the bathroom? Yuck – are you lot spying on people going to the bathroom now?" said Mary, making a face. Lily laughed, and Liz and Marlene joined in, and Potter and Black looked slightly abashed.

"Er – his hands were wet," said Peter. Lily focused his attention on him, and he went pink but said, "Really." The firmness in his voice was evident, and Liz said, "OK, then – so what did you do?"

"Well, we pressed ourselves against the wall, and as he passed by, I tripped him!" said Black, his expression amused.

"And while he was prone on the ground, I sneaked up behind him and put a Dungbomb in his pocket!" Potter exclaimed before starting to laugh once again.

"And he didn't see you do that?" said Lily quickly. "How thick was he?"

"Well – he's pretty thick! He never even saw James!" said Black, laughing even harder.

"Rubbish!" exclaimed Lily. "It's not like you were invisible, were you, Potter?"

There was a second's pause, where Potter and Black looked at each other, before Potter turned back to her. "Evans – I'm afraid the answer to that question is for another day," he said mysteriously. She snorted. _Idiot_ , she thought, _making himself seem more important that he is…_

"So this boy – he didn't know you put a Dungbomb in his pocket?" asked Mary, amused. Liz, however, looked unimpressed.

"That, I'm afraid, is a little below your standards, boys," she said impatiently, "I know you can do better than that!"

"Ahh – well, I forgot to mention the key point. You see – the Dungbomb sticks to human skin," said Black, and he and Potter dissolved into convulsive laughter once again, and this time, Remus and Peter joined in.

"That's right," gasped Potter, tears running down his cheeks, "We used gloves the whole time we were handling it. Just imagine – this bloke will feel it in his pocket, and put his hand in there to see what it is – and then, it'll be stuck to his hand, and because it releases a sticky kind of liquid when someone touches it, the hand will remain stuck to it, as will his robes! That means that he'll be stuck with one hand down his pocket, smelling like –"

But the rest of his words were drowned by laughter; Liz, Mary and Marlene had burst into hysterical giggles, and she felt torn between amusement and her dislike for Black and Potter; in the end, amusement gave in, and an unwilling kind of smile came over her face. She shook her head with mirth as the rest of them laughed uncontrollably. After a while, their laughter subsided, and Liz wiped tears from her eyes.

"You know, I'm surprised at you, Remus," Lily addressed the normally-quiet boy who was still shaking with laughter, clutching Peter's shoulder for support. "I mean, these two can be childish at times, but you? Since when do _you_ go around pranking people for now rhyme or reason?" Potter and Black looked at her as if she were mad. "Don't be funny, Evans," said Potter, "The whole thing was his idea!" She looked at Remus, surprised, and Black said, "Well, at least the part about the Sticking Charm – James and I were just going to put the Dungbomb in his pocket and run away – but he suggested that we use a Sticking Charm – and it worked out brilliantly. You know," he turned to Remus, "You've got a genius for pranks, mate – where were you for the past year?" Remus flushed with pleasure and smiled happily. She just shook her head, dumbfounded. _Great_ , she thought exasperatedly, _now they've taken Remus under their influence too… I wonder who the poor idiot was who got tricked, though…_

But just as she was about to ask about their victim, Liz did it for her. "So who's the unlucky bloke with one hand stuck inside his foul-smelling pants?" she asked, fighting to keep a straight face.

Potter raised his hands in the air. "Blimey, Hunt – do you even have to ask?" He looked in her direction knowingly as he addressed Liz before looking away, leaving her confused; why had he glanced at her like that? But before she could say a word, he said, "Anyway, we have to go – we're going to prank a few more Slytherins. See you!" He quickly exited the compartment, and the other boys followed him out. Remus was the last to leave, and he looked in her direction apologetically before leaving their compartment.

Suspiciously, Lily asked Liz, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? About who they pranked?"

Liz nodded and said, "I'm pretty sure they pranked Snape." The corner of her mouth twitched, and behind her, Mary burst out laughing. Lily glared at her, and she said apologetically, "Sorry, Lil – but it _is_ funny!"

"No, it isn't," said Lily coldly, "In fact it's really mean."

"Come on – you laughed too, before you knew it was Snape!" countered Marlene, before continuing, "And we don't even know it's Snape! Relax, Lil – why're you getting upset?"

"Because I'm pretty sure it's Severus they were mean to," she said, sitting down in dismay. "Oh, I hate them – why won't they just leave him alone?"

Marlene and Mary shrugged, and Liz said something, but she wasn't really paying them any attention; she was brooding on why her two sets of friends didn't get along. True, Liz and Severus tolerated each other, but that was all; Liz wouldn't speak to him more than she needed to, and Lily was sure that it was because of her anti-Slytherin leanings. The boys were mean to him, and she didn't understand why; she figured that they were just childish. She looked at the blue afternoon sky outside the window, a little depressed… Why couldn't everybody just get along with everybody?

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The next few days passed quickly; within the first two weeks, they revised everything that they'd covered over the course of the past year (Lily got top marks for her Potions homework, much to her relief). They spent most of the first two weeks back trying to turn a beetle into a button in Transfiguration (she was able to, but after spending two successive classes in near-frustration as Potter and Black Transfigured their beetles on their first try and spent most of the time playing sword-fights with their wands), learning about Mandrakes (Mary seemed to know an awful lot about them, especially their healing powers), and learning about some more basic antidotes in Potions. With an increase in the amount of homework they were getting, Lily felt a little overwhelmed, but after staying up for two nights in a row to complete it all, she was feeling relaxed as they walked into the Great Hall on Saturday morning. Beside her, Liz was a bundle of nerves.

"Come on, Liz – you'll do fine!" she said bracingly to her friend. Liz snorted. "I must have been mental – mental – to have signed up for Quidditch tryouts! I mean, what was I thinking? I was sure I wanted to try out in the summer holidays, but now –"

"Hey, you've got your Mum's Quidditch blood in you!" said Lily comfortingly. "Come on – your Mum's an international Quidditch player, she even played for England!"

"Retired player," corrected Liz, "And I'm not her! I like the game and all, but it's crazy, really – why did I put my name down?" she asked for the umpteenth time, her expression piteous. Lily looked at her, unnerved; Liz was normally so calm and cool, and she was completely thrown to see her friend in such a state. She squeezed Liz's hand reassuringly as they sat down for breakfast. "You'll be fine," she said, "I'm going to come and watch, and I'll cheer for you!" Liz brightened slightly at that, and ate her toast and jam with some more enthusiasm than before.

An hour later, Lily was seated in the stands as she saw the Gryffindor Quidditch team dressed in scarlet and gold, surrounded by at least twenty other people. She caught a blond head in the sea of black and waved; Liz waved back at her, and Lily was relieved to see that her friend was going to try out; she had been slightly afraid that Liz would just back out at the last minute, such had been her state of nerves in the morning.

A small badge glinted off Frank Longbottom's chest as he called the Chaser hopefuls to stand in line, and started off by making each person fly around the pitch once. This proved to be a good ploy; there were a couple of third-years who balked halfway through their flight and crashed into the goalposts. Mary and Marlene arrived just then, and together, they cheered when it was Liz's turn to fly around the pitch, and Lily was relieved when Liz flew with ease and grace, looking extremely at home on her broomstick.

The remaining candidates were then asked to score a goal past the Gryffindor Keeper, Jeremy Lawson. Lawson blocked eleven of the eighteen shots thrown at him, which whittled the list down to seven. Lily was relieved to see Liz amongst the seven. Potter was there too, and there were four boys and another girl with them. These seven candidates were made to score five penalties each against Lawson, and to her disappointment, Liz managed to score only two, leading to her immediate elimination. Her friend came up to her a few minutes later, looking surprisingly cheerful. "Well, that was expected – but no fear, there's always next year!" Lily nodded, relieved, and Liz sat next to Marlene (who smiled comfortingly at her) and turned towards the pitch just as Potter kicked off from the ground and took his position for the penalties. The girl had scored four penalties, and she was the highest scorer till then, which meant that Potter had to score either four or five penalties in order to stand any chance of getting selected.

"D'you think he can do it?" Lily asked Liz as Potter took his position in front of the Keeper.

"I'm sure he can," said Liz with conviction. "James is brilliant, I've seen him fly over the summer and even today – he's a natural!"

Lily nodded and focused on the black-clad figure thirty feet above her, and, in spite of herself, she couldn't help feeling a grudging sort of respect for him. He was her best friend's nemesis, the bane of his existence – and yet, here she was, watching his trial as he was pitted against players bigger and more experienced than he.

Frank Longbottom blew his whistle, and Potter shot forward. He moved to the right, and as he got closer, he feinted to the left, but Lawson had been expecting that; the Keeper moved to block him. However, he hadn't anticipated playing right into Potter's hands; the watching crowd let out a collective 'Oooohh!' of wonder as Potter looped to about five feet above Lawson and threw the Quaffle neatly into the right goalpost.

Next to her, Liz clapped and cheered. Lily knew that she had just seen an excellent penalty. "How did he do that?" she asked aloud in wonder. "Because, he's _brilliant_! He knew that Lawson would come out to block him and he made sure he had a plan ready!" exclaimed Liz, still clapping.

Lily watched in increasing wonder as Potter scored two, three, then four penalties in a row. Lawson, who seemed to be growing grumpier and grumpier by the minute, went over to Frank and had a heated two-minute discussion with him before taking his position.

"Lawson's not happy," said Liz from next to her. "Why?" asked Mary curiously.

Liz chose her words carefully. "Well, that girl who scored four penalties – the only girl in the final seven – she's Amy Blythe, and she's Lawson's girlfriend. She's a fifth-year, and based on what I heard the other boys say, he really wants her in the team. She's good, too; she was a reserve last year, after they decided to choose Annie Shaw. This year she stands a realistic chance of making the team, but James… James is in her way."

Lily quickly focused on Potter as he prepared to take the final penalty. She didn't really care if he made the team or not, but Liz seemed to think that he'd be an asset, so she didn't say anything. She merely hoped that he wouldn't be even more insufferable provided he got selected. Severus was still smarting about the Dungbomb prank; he'd been extremely embarrassed as the other Slytherin boys had laughed themselves silly for a few minutes, before trying to help him remove the Sticking Charm. They hadn't succeeded, which had resulted in Severus waiting uncomfortably for the Charm to wear off. The stink didn't go, however, and during the start-of-term feast, he'd sat alone on one end of the Slytherin table, his face burning with humiliation. It hadn't helped that Potter and Black had called him 'Shitbag Snivelly' for at least a week before reverting to 'Snivellus'. She'd been angry with Remus as well for orchestrating the whole thing and she hadn't spoken a word to him for the past two weeks, preferring to hang around with the girls instead.

She looked up to see Potter zoom towards Lawson, who didn't leave the goalposts this time, preferring instead to hover protectively between them, so that Potter wouldn't be able to pull off a feint. Potter had other ideas, however; he flew ten feet above Lawson and suddenly dived, circling to the nearest goalpost; Lawson followed him, and just as Potter raised his arm to shoot, he feinted and flew ten feet above Lawson once more. Before the Keeper could react, Potter had put the Quaffle through the tallest goalpost.

Beside her, Liz cheered while Marlene and Mary clapped enthusiastically. She too clapped a little grudgingly; James Potter may be a prick, but he would make, without doubt, an excellent Chaser.

They all got up and made their way to the pitch. Lily looked on with interest as Jeremy Lawson hugged Amy Blythe, who seemed to be crying. "Blythe doesn't look too blithe," said Liz, a little callously. "Ssshhh, be nice, Liz… After all, she just lost, and obviously, she would have to be a reserve this year again," said Marlene from behind them.

They walked towards Potter as Black and Remus exchanged overhead claps with him, while Peter looked on, grinning happily. "Who's the king?" shouted Black, and Remus and Peter yelled, "James Potter!" Potter beamed and struck a pose where he flexed his muscles and stood with his chest puffed out.

"Congratulations, James!" gushed Liz as they reached the boys. She gave him a quick hug, and Mary and Marlene shook hands with him. He turned to her. "Congratulations, Potter – you weren't bad," she said grudgingly. He raised his eyebrows slightly but said, "Thank you, Evans. I wonder what 'good' would be if what I did up there was 'not bad'," he continued teasingly.

"Well – this was just the trial, so I assume you'd have to do better than that if you want to win any games for us," she shot back, and he grinned. "Of course," he said easily, before adding, "How's Snivelly, by the way? Did he shit his pants once again?" Black roared with laughter, and her cheeks flamed. "Stop being mean to him!" she said, a little pleadingly. Turning to Liz, she said, "Let's go." Liz and Mary nodded to the boys before setting off in her wake, while Marlene lingered, talking to James about something.

 _Arrogant prick_ , she thought as they headed into the castle for lunch… _Arrogant prick!_

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September and October flew by quickly that year. The weather faded into autumn at the end of September, and grew steadily cooler as October progressed. Lily and Liz had struck a routine; every Friday evening, after classes, they would go the shade of the big beech tree and finish all their weekend homework sitting in its shade, enjoying the pleasantly cool weather, sitting there until darkness set in. It was remarkable how they were able to finish most of their homework sitting there; however, it was mainly due to their inclination towards different subjects. After having struggled with Transfiguration in the first month of her first year, Liz had grown to be remarkably good at it. She was better than Lily with Defence Against the Dark Arts, too. In contrast, Lily was better with Charms and Potions, while their aptitude for the other subjects was comparable. Thus, they were able to complete their homework with good efficiency.

Saturday afternoon was Lily's time with Severus; it was normally the time when the Gryffindor Quidditch team practised, and Liz would normally go with Black to watch Potter and the rest play, so that they would be able to pick up pointers which would no doubt be useful when they would both try out for the team when a vacancy would be created. She enjoyed the time she spent with Severus; they would mainly discuss Potions, and Severus always managed to come up with some or other short cut for making the Potion they'd been taught during the week. Lily always felt jealous of him for being able to do so; it was as if he had a natural genius for the subject. He was certainly creative; only in the last class, he had persuaded her to crush beetle eyes by placing them on the table and hitting them hard with a balled-up fist rather than doing so in the palm of her hand, as directed by the book. She had been sceptical; however, she'd done as he'd suggested, and to her surprise, one hit from her had been enough for the eyes to be ground into sine powder. Severus had just smiled a mysterious smile before proceeding to add them to the potion. Professor Slughorn had been impressed with them, but that wasn't anything new; he was impressed with anything they did these days, and he would rave on about how it had been many years since he'd taught students so talented. Lily always blushed when he said that, but deep down she loved the attention she was receiving from Slughorn; he was now her favourite professor.

After dinner that Friday, Liz and Lily walked back to the common room. "So – tomorrow, Gryffindor versus Slytherin! I can't wait!" she exclaimed. Lily smiled at her. "Yeah… It'll be the first time Potter will be playing for Gryffindor, isn't it?"

Liz nodded. "Yep. Me and Black have been watching him practise every Saturday in these last two months. He says Frank's been training them really hard, and it wasn't the breeze he thought it would be. And he isn't kidding – I've seen it myself. Frank makes them jog around the field three times to warm them up. Then he has them perform jumps, push-ups and other warm-up exercises. Then he discusses tactics for about ten minutes before everyone kicks off into the air. There's reserves as well who practise along with the first team so that the Chasers and Beaters can practise offensive and defensive play. All in all, it's pretty organized."

"Wow," said Lily. "I didn't know that everyone played Quidditch so intensely – even here." Liz rolled her eyes. "What did you think it was, people tossing balls to each other while being fifty feet up?"

"Pretty much," admitted Lily, and Liz laughed. "Well, it's much more than that, Lil. It's the most widely played and followed sport in the Wizarding world. A career playing Quidditch is one of the most lucrative options for someone who is a good Quidditch player. Obviously, getting selected for one of the League teams is extremely difficult, but with the right amount of training and skill, a talented player can get selected into one of those." Lily nodded thoughtfully as they entered the common room. She spied Potter and Black, along with Peter and Remus, sitting at a table in uncharacteristic silence and concentration. As they approached the boys' table, Lily saw that Potter and Remus were locked in a Wizard's chess match.

"What are you doing?" asked Liz. Black looked at her and said, "What does it look like, Hunt? We're cooking." Peter sniggered, but Liz ignored the sarcasm. "Why're you lot sitting here, all unnaturally silent?" she asked, and Black answered, "Frank wants James to be calm, what with his first game tomorrow and all… So we're just engaged in a quiet game of chess." Liz raised her eyebrows, and Black said, "What? We can be quiet sometimes! Besides, Pete wanted to play, but he'd have beaten James, so Remus is doing it." Potter looked up. "I heard that, Sirius," he said, and Peter laughed again. "Concentrate, James – so that you're mentally prepared for tomorrow's game," said Black, and Potter slowly turned back to the board. Liz smiled slightly and peered over the board as well, and Lily followed suit.

She studied the position carefully before realizing that Remus, with the black pieces, was in trouble; he was defending desperately, and Potter had him backed into a corner. She could see that if Potter didn't play aggressively from that point, he could end up losing as Remus could still attack in spite of being in a weaker position. And yet… It seemed as if Potter hadn't realized that he had a good chance to checkmate. He was involved in an argument with his bishop.

"What's the problem, idiot? Just go to f6… And take his pawn! That'll be a check!" said Potter softly, his tone irritated. "His other pawn will kill me," whispered the bishop, and Lily thought the chess piece had a point. Bishop to f6 was a bad move; it would weaken Potter's position.

"Bad move, Potter," she said importantly. Potter looked up, and his bishop whispered, "Yes, listen to the lady."

"Shut up," said Potter irritably to his bishop, before turning back to her. "What do you mean, Evans?"

"Well – if I say anything more, it wouldn't be fair to Remus," she said, and the brown-haired boy looked up at her and smiled gratefully. "C'mon, Evans," whined Potter, "Tell me what the best move is!" She looked at him smugly. "Well – if you all promise to leave Severus alone for the rest of the year, I'll tell you," she said. _Anything to get Sev out of the clutches of these buffoons_ , she thought.

"Well – I'd rather lose, then," said Potter, slowly turning back to the board. "However, if you'd said Christmas, I'd be willing to consider it…"

The rest had been watching this exchange silently, and Lily knew that she had to reduce her demand. _Well, two months of respite wasn't much, but for Sev it would be a godsend,_ she thought. Just last week, Potter, Black and Severus had received detention for duelling in the passageway. Severus had come off worse in that little skirmish; he'd received a nosebleed that had resulted in him staying in the Hospital Wing for the night. She'd been proud of her friend's jinxing abilities, though; Black had had three of the nails on his left hand cursed off and had to wander around nail-less for two days before they could be grown back to normal.

"Fine – Christmas, then," she said, and Potter looked up. Remus and Peter looked uncertain, and Black shook his head vigorously. "All right, deal," said Potter, and despite Black's protests, he extended his hand to her. She shook it, not surprised by the firmness of his handshake; he was a Quidditch player after all. "Why would you do that?" Black asked Potter indignantly. Potter said, "Oh, come on… We'll get him after Christmas!" Black looked mutinous, but stayed silent.

She narrowed her eyes at Potter. "Be warned, Potter," she said dangerously. "If you attack him or prank him or do anything to him –"

But he held up a hand. "I never break deals, Evans. A deal is a deal. You have my word; we'll leave Snivelly alone till Christmas." She'd been counting on that. She knew that he was a noble person (although that trait of his character was hidden _very_ deep down); she'd seen that in Hogsmeade last year when he'd protected her. "All right, then," she said, sitting down next to him. "Sorry, Remus," she said apologetically to him, and he shrugged. "I was losing anyway, it was only a matter of time, Lily. Besides, we don't get to trouble Snape – so this day just got better," he added dryly, and Black made a small noise of protest.

"Well – just play your castle to b8 – then he'll play his king to e7 – then you play bishop to c5 – then he'll have to play king to f7, no choice – then play your castle to f8 – that's checkmate!" she said in one single breath. Then, before he could ask any questions or renege upon their deal, she stood up again and said, "Good luck for tomorrow's match, Potter. 'Night." She quickly made her way to the dormitory, and a grinning Liz followed her. She ignored him as he yelled, "Wait, come back! That was too easy –"

"Nicely done," said Liz as they entered the dormitory. She smiled back. "Well – I guess Christmas isn't so bad after all," she said. "I like the way you stand up for your friends, Lil," said Liz warmly. "I hope that if need be, you do that for me one day, too." Lily grinned and said, "Of course I would. I just hope Potter keeps his end of the bargain."

"Oh, he will," said Liz confidently. "He may have his faults, but he has a bloated sense of honour and chivalry. He may do it grudgingly and unwillingly, but he will."

 _I hope so_ , thought Lily. _I hope so…_

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The next day dawned bright and sunny; the cloudy weather that had persisted over them during the previous week was now gone. She woke up early and went down for breakfast with Liz, who was in a state of considerable excitement. "Perfect conditions," she said briskly, "Good amount of sunlight and brightness, which means no problems for visibility… No rain, no stormy weather, which means that no one will be impeded by the rain…" Lily listened for a while, but found her interest slipping slightly; she quickly focused as Liz concluded, "—so we should look for early goals and then we can afford to play defensively, our attack is stronger than Slytherin's."

"Right," said Lily as they took a seat for breakfast, right in front of Potter and Black, who looked up. "Not fair, Evans," said Potter as soon as he saw her, "You knew it was easy. You just tricked me." She smiled at him smugly and said, "You better not be thinking about going back on our deal, Potter." He shrugged and said, "I meant what I said, Evans, a deal is a deal. Still, you're a lot more cunning than you come off as." She smiled victoriously at that.

An hour later, they were all heading towards the Quidditch pitch. Potter had left early, and she walked with the rest of the Gryffindors. Liz was telling Mary and Marlene about how Lily had got Potter and the rest to leave Severus alone, and Black kept shooting her angry looks every now and then, but she ignored him and chatted with Peter instead. "So you're good at Wizard's chess?" she asked the fat boy, who grinned. "Yeah," he said, a lot less nervously than usual. "I've been playing since I was four years old. My father taught me. He was a wonderful man."

"Was?" she asked. He looked at her sadly. "He's – well – dead," he said. She squeezed his shoulder sympathetically at once, trying to hide the shock she felt. One year she'd known him… And she hadn't bothered to find out this detail. "I'm sorry, Peter," she said, her voice small, "I didn't know." He smiled and said, "That's OK. Not many people do." She knew that he was just trying to make her feel better, so she decided to change the subject and said, "Well – I'm good at chess too, so do you want to play a game this evening – after the match?" His face lit up at once. "Sure!" he said happily as they sat down in their seats and faced the pitch.

Beside Peter, Remus and Mary seemed to be discussing the Defence homework.

"—I don't understand how it works, Remus – does it lock your tongue?"

"Well, not exactly – it just sort of 'ties' your tongue, which means you cannot talk about a specific subject –"

"That's fine, but who exactly decides the subject? The caster? And if so, how exactly?"

To her right, Liz, Black and Marlene seemed to be discussing tactics again.

"James can play from the left – Frank has to take centre, obviously –"

"Nah, I think Anne plays better at the centre, weren't you watching them practise, Hunt?"

"Obviously I was, Black, which is why I felt Anne plays better on the flank – I mean, only one side to pass to, isn't it? Easier to play!"

"Well, I think Anne's best at the centre because Frank has a better accuracy – which means that he can score from tight angles –"

But the rest of Marlene's words were drowned by Brandon Smith. "Welcome – to the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" A chorus of cheers and yells followed this announcement. "And here come the Gryffindors – Lawson, Perkins, Prewett, Prewett, Shaw, Potter – led by captain Longbottom! James Potter is the replacement to former Chaser Goodwin, and it seems like they couldn't find anyone better, so they are looking for tiny little boys to play Chaser!"

Beside her, Black hissed in anger at Smith's snide comment. Liz, however, grinned. "He'll be singing a different tune once James plays like he does in practice!" Black seemed to brighten up at once.

"And here come the defending champions – Slytherin, the best team at Hogwarts currently – (Black booed loudly) – led by Lucius Malfoy, with Flint, Greengrass, Everett, Addison, Croft, and new Keeper Parkinson, who was a reserve last year! This is how you replace someone who graduates – unlike playing little second-years!"

Lily quickly turned her binoculars to Potter, who stood on the pitch, his face devoid of emotion. She hoped he wouldn't be affected by Smith's comments in a way such that it affected his game. Liz seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "I hope James ignores that git Smith," she said worriedly before turning to Black. "No, Black – sit down. Even if you throw your binoculars, you won't be able to reach Smith – so just watch the game."

Madam Hooch launched the Snitch and the Bludgers in the air. She threw the Quaffle and blew her whistle; at that, fourteen players kicked off from the ground and the game commenced.

"And they're off – and it is Potter with the Quaffle, dodges Flint, dodges a Bludger, streaks to the goalposts – and scores! Ten-zero to Gryffindor!" yelled Smith, his voice betraying surprise. Liz and Black cheered and shrieked madly, while Lily herself clapped elatedly. "Potter scores early in the match – this is probably the quickest goal in Hogwarts Quidditch history!"

"Not such a little boy, is he now, Smith?" yelled Black to no one in particular.

Twenty minutes later, the scoreline read one hundred and twenty to thirty in favour of Gryffindor. The Gryffindor Chasers kept cutting through the Slytherin defence with ease, and it was only the skill of their new Keeper that kept the score to what it was; Lily was sure that based on the shots the Gryffindor Chasers were taking, their score would have been in excess of two hundred.

"And here's Potter again – he's so quick, it's as he's Charmed his broom to be feather-light, I hope the referees check it out – Potter to Longbottom, who moves through the centre – intercepted by Flint, who streaks ahead like a falcon – THAT'S A FOUL!"

And sure enough, Madam Hooch blew her whistle; it seemed as if Frank had punched Flint as he'd tried to retrieve the Quaffle. She saw Madam Hooch speak a few angry words to Frank, before awarding a penalty to Slytherin.

"And after that horrible foul, it's Flint who takes the penalty – flies ahead – SHOOTS! But it's been saved – Lawson makes the save, and play continues – now Shaw – passes to Longbottom – now Potter – Shaw ahead of him – Potter passes – no, he's feinted, and he shoots instead – and he scores!"

Lily and the others cheered loudly once again; their lead was a hundred points now. In ten more minutes, Gryffindor scored five more times, with the score reading a hundred and eighty points versus thirty. "There's no way we're losing now!" Liz shouted.

Just then, the crowd let out a collective gasp; the two Seekers were flying in the same direction, with Malfoy leading… But Julie Perkins was on his tail. "It looks like Malfoy has seen the Snitch!" shouted Smith. "And Flint's got the Quaffle – which means that if he scores now, Slytherin will win! Flint streaks along the right – tries a pass to Greengrass but Longbottom intercepts and passes to – Potter – Addison's Bludger misses him – damn you, Ivy – and Malfoy's closing in on the Snitch – it's tense here, folks, hard to say what the result will be now – and Potter shoots – and scores! _What the heck are you doing, Parkinson?_ And Malfoy's caught the Snitch as well – but thanks to the buffoon of a Slytherin Keeper, the final score is one hundred and ninety to one hundred and eighty in favour of Gryffindor – who have won!"

But his last sentence was lost in the collective roar of the crowd. Black was beside himself; he clapped and jumped incessantly, and hugged Remus and Peter enthusiastically; they too looked ecstatic. Liz was screaming in delight as well, and Marlene exchanged overhead claps with Mary and Mark, while Jane smiled delightedly. Lily felt elated; Potter had certainly justified his selection in the team.

 _Oh dear, he's going to be unendurable now_ , she thought with mild exasperation. But she found that she didn't mind so much; after all, he had earned the right to be smug now, with his last-gasp goal giving them the win. _He's good_ , she thought, with reluctant respect… _He's good!_

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	14. Chapter 13

Thanks for the review, fons19. Here is chapter twelve. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **The Marauders**

"This is a really great party!" Marlene shouted over the noise. Lily looked around the Gryffindor common room as groups of people danced, music blared over the wireless radio, and in one side of the room, several tables creaked under the weight of chocolates, eclairs, cakes, chicken wings and pumpkin juice. "Yeah, it really is!" she shouted back at Marlene, who flailed her arms about, dancing enthusiastically.

The portrait hole opened, and Black and Potter entered, their arms full of food. Potter carried a huge bowl full of steaming, roasted potatoes, while Black carried a few bottles of pumpkin juice. Behind them, Remus carried chocolate macaroons, and Peter carried a large dish laden with at least twenty sandwiches. Lily and the others watched silently as Potter yelled, "More food, everyone!" and proceeded towards the tables; to her surprise, a girl standing there waved a wand and conjured two more tables out of thin air, and the boys placed their food on them, all of them looking supremely pleased with themselves.

"Where did they get all that food?" asked Liz, clearly gobsmacked. Lily shook her head, and Marlene said from behind her, "Why don't we go and ask them?" She nodded, and Liz led the way to the boys. Just as they reached the tables, one of the boys said loudly, "Nice going, you lot – you will be rewarded!" She noted that the speaker was Fabian Prewett; he turned around and spotted them.

"Oh, more ickle second-years!" he shouted enthusiastically. "I say – you've got a real prodigy in your year, you lot – there's not many Chasers who win the match for the team in their first game itself!" She quickly glanced at Potter, who had the grace to blush _ever_ so slightly. To her chagrin, she realised she hadn't congratulated him yet. Deciding to be articulate, she said to him, "Good goal, Potter… Well done!" He looked surprised for a second, but said, "Thanks, Evans… Am I better than 'not bad' now?" It was her turn to blush, but she smiled slightly and said, "Oh, certainly… You were really good up there!" What was wrong with her? Why was she complimenting the arrogant toerag that he was?

He smiled widely and said, "Thanks! I see you're finally appreciating the Quidditch master that is James Potter." And there it was. _Oh dear, I may have just fed his already overlarge ego_ , she thought. Before she could make any sort of comeback, though, a deep voice said, "I'll be the judge of that, Potter. You've won us one game at the moment, so don't get cocky…" She wheeled around to see who the speaker was; it was Frank Longbottom, the Quidditch captain. Potter looked abashed, and she laughed along with Liz, Marlene, and the other boys. Turning back to the tables, Potter said, "I think I have at least earned myself the right to try Butterbeer." He reached for the bottle, but the girl who had conjured the table before came over immediately. Up close, Lily recognized Alice Rutherford.

"No, you don't," she said sternly, slapping Potter's hand away from the Butterbeer bottle. "You're still underage, James, so Butterbeer's a no-no." Potter looked at her indignantly. "Come on – I'll be thirteen in March! What's a few more months?" Alice remained unmoved. "Your mother told me specifically that you were not to have any Butterbeer until you turned thirteen. Hence – hands off," she added firmly.

Potter looked at her in surprise. "When did my Mum tell you that? _Why are you in contact with my Mum?_ " Alice rolled her eyes. "Well, if you must know – your Mum wrote to me after your little – er, adventure, at the end of last year – that she was sure you'd try to sneak into Hogsmeade again, and in spite of knowing full well that you shouldn't be drinking Butterbeer before you turn thirteen, you may be tempted to do so. And she requested me to keep an eye on you – so, here I am," she said. "Now, why don't you drink some pumpkin juice like your rule-abiding classmates?" She gazed at them as she spoke, and gave a small smile in her and Liz's direction; Lily smiled back.

"Fine," Potter said irritably, "I'll just have pumpkin juice then. This is the thanks you get for nicking so much food from the kitchens – Fab said he was going to let me try Butterbeer." Alice looked in Fabian's direction, and the tall boy shrugged. "I thought it would be OK," he said. Alice shook her head. "You know the rules, Fab." Fabian shrugged again and looked at James apologetically before pouring himself a glass of Butterbeer and walking away to chat with a couple of fourth-year girls.

"Come on, old fellow," said Black, moving Potter along. She could see that he could tell they were beaten; there would be no Butterbeer for them tonight. Liz made a motion to her and Marlene to follow the boys, who sat down with plates of food near the fireplace, away from the dancing crowd. Potter still looked mutinous, but the chicken sandwiches in front of him seemed to cheer him up a little.

"Where did you lot get all this food?" Liz asked them curiously. Black grinned. "That's a secret, Hunt," he said importantly. Liz snorted. "Come on, tell us – how did you do it?" When they continued to look smug, Marlene rolled her eyes. "Leave them, Liz – let's ask Fab or Gid," she said, and made to turn away, before Potter stopped her by saying, "OK, OK – we'll tell you. We got it from the kitchens!" he exclaimed.

"The kitchens?" Lily repeated, surprised. Black grinned. "Yes, Evans, the kitchens," he said impatiently, "That's the place where all the food is cooked – doesn't your know-it-all-ness cover that?" She blushed. "Obviously I know what a kitchen is, Black – which is more than what I can say for you. A kitchen is a place where you _make_ food, not _steal_ it!"

Remus spoke up. "We didn't _steal_ it, Lily. We _got_ it. There's a difference. The house-elves are always ready to give away food!"

She looked at him, dumbfounded. "There are house-elves at Hogwarts?"

"Of course," said Black, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Who do you think makes all the food and cleans our common room – Father Christmas?" Peter sniggered at that, and she faced Black squarely. "No, I thought it was the giant squid," she returned, and Marlene laughed.

Liz said, "All the same, those poor house elves – you bully them into giving you food… Is this the first time, incidentally?"

"Er – no," said Peter, "We've eaten in the kitchens before – especially on Saturday nights – you get even better desserts in the kitchens than during dinner!" he said proudly, smacking his lips.

Liz threw up her hands. "You're like a group of marauders, scrounging around for food like that!" she said exasperatedly.

Potter grinned suddenly. "The Marauders… I like that name, Hunt. What say, you lot?"

Black had a cocky grin on his slightly arrogant features. "I think it'll suit us nicely. What do you two think?" he asked Peter and Remus. "It's a nice name," said Remus mildly, "It rather reflects what we do regularly, doesn't it?" Peter nodded slowly, also grinning.

"Thanks, Hunt," said Potter, and stood up. He stretched out his arm, palm down, in front of him, and said, "Marauders on three, you lot?" Black, Remus and Peter immediately placed their hands on top of his, and he said, "One – two – three –" and they all yelled, "Marauders!"

"It wasn't meant to be a compliment!" said Liz, a little vexed. Lily grinned. The Marauders (she supposed that the name was going to stick) had certainly got one up over Liz. "Come on, Liz – let's eat some chicken wings," said Marlene, rolling her eyes at the Marauders. Liz shrugged and followed Marlene, and Lily set off behind them, with one last wave to Remus.

"Prats," said Liz irritably, and Lily squeezed her hand. "Ignore them, Liz – come on, let's eat what they've got," she said comfortingly, and together, they helped themselves to chicken wings and pumpkin juice, before dancing for a little while more until Professor McGonagall arrived at one in the morning and forced them all to go to bed. As she settled down in her warm, comfortable bed, she thought, _it suits them perfectly… The Marauders…_

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"So anyway – I didn't get a chance to tell you this week, but I sort of made sure that the Marauders will leave you alone for the rest of the term," said Lily proudly to Severus that Saturday afternoon, as they sat in the library, going over what Professor Slughorn had taught them that week. He looked up. "What do you mean, Lily?"

"Well – I made a deal with Potter and his mates that they leave you alone till Christmas," she said, with a rather superior air. He raised his eyebrows. "And how exactly did you do that?" he asked, a little suspiciously, his eyes slightly narrowed. She quickly told him about the chess game.

"Why, though? Why did you have to do that?" he asked, and she was surprised to hear him sound a little angry.

"Well – they give you such a hard time, and you ended up with a dangerous nosebleed last week – so I was only trying to help," she said, a little nonplussed.

"This is mad!" he said, incensed. "Why would you do that? I don't need your help! I can take care of myself!"

"But I was –" she began, but she couldn't understand why he was angry. His lack of gratitude was starting to irritate her. "I was only trying to help you, Severus – what is your problem?"

"I can fight my own battles – I don't need you to interfere! This is between those berks and me – and you helping me like that will just make sure that they think I'm weak, that I need you to come to my aid every time!"

"So? What's wrong with that?" she said angrily, fighting to keep her voice down. "I thought whatever helps you should be done – but if you're going to be such a prat about it – then perhaps I shouldn't have helped you! I mean, you could be a _little_ grateful!" Standing up, she said, "I'll see you later, when you're done being stupid."

"No – wait – I didn't mean to sound like that," he said uncertainly. She paused.

"I'm sorry – of course I'm thankful to you for helping me – it's just that, I feel so helpless," he said, frowning.

"Of course – it's normally two against one – and now, with Remus and Peter, it's likely to be four against one!" she said, sitting back down, mollified by his apology. "That's why I thought I could help, because I had the chance to do so!"

"Of course," he said softly, his eyes warm. "I really appreciate it, Thanks, Lily." She nodded.

"Besides, you don't know how beneficial it is going to be for me," he continued, with an evil grin, _so un-Severus-like_ , thought Lily.

"What do you mean?"

"Well –" he said, his eyes glinting, "Now that they have promised to not do anything to me, I can give them a hard time – without retribution! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" He rubbed his hands excitedly.

 _Oh no_ , thought Lily. She hadn't expected her actions to backfire like this.

"Why would you do that?" she asked him, exasperatedly. "Here I am, trying to stop conflict of all kind, and you're just going to add fuel to the fire!"

"What? Tell me honestly – would they had given up such an opportunity to torment me? I'm only doing what they would have done!"

"All the same," she countered, "You don't need to stoop down to their level!"

"Oh, but I'm not," he said, "My level is superior to theirs – you will see it now," he added, the evil glint in his eyes more pronounced.

She didn't reply, but just looked at him with narrowed eyes. _Boys_ , she thought exasperatedly… _Boys…_

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Severus proved to be true to his word. Over the next few days, he went after the Marauders with a vendetta. Peter was his first target; it was in the Potions lesson one Friday that he put his plan in motion. They were making the Swelling Solution that day; she and Severus were done with theirs while the rest of the students stirred their potions feverishly. Peter was nervously adding a bat spleen to his cauldron; it was one of the last steps. He was sweating profusely; he kept wiping his forehead with his handkerchief frequently. His cauldron was emitting greenish sparks, and Lily could see that his potion was going to go wrong it he didn't lower his heating flame.

"Peter's cauldron is going to blow up if he doesn't lower his flame," she said to Severus as he poured a bit of their potion into a small bottle to submit it to Slughorn. "So?" he said unkindly, "Serve him right." She frowned at him and said, "You know, maybe if you were nice to them they wouldn't pick on you like that."

He appeared to think for a moment. "You know, you may be right," he said, to her great surprise. "Maybe I'll help Pettigrew repair his potion." Had he really said that? "You're going to _help_ him?" she said disbelievingly. "Why not?" he said. "Now, let me do it before I change my mind." Then, before he could reply, he went over to Peter's cauldron. Astounded, she thought, _would wonders never cease?_

Ten minutes later, he returned, leaving a very surprised Peter in his wake. "Did you – did you really just _help_ him?" she asked him, still befuddled. He nodded. "Yep," he said shortly. He looked strangely pleased with himself. She watched as he refilled the bottle with their potion. "What are you doing?" she asked him. "You filled it, right? Why are you filling it up again?"

He paused. She could see his eyes give her a searching kind of a look. "Well – I didn't fill enough of it before, so I'm just adding some more," he said smoothly. She was surprised; she had seen him fill up the bottle with her own eyes. "You filled it completely before," she said, still suspicious. He sighed. "I started to fill it up, but you interrupted me – you told me to help the idiot, remember?" he said, a little exasperatedly, "So I'm just filling it up now."

Still not fully satisfied, she nodded nevertheless. He sealed the bottle and walked over to Slughorn's desk. She looked at Peter again, and he seemed to be doing much better. He picked up his handkerchief and wiped his face. And then, before her very eyes, his face began to grow. It slowly grew to the size of a balloon, and his eyes were as big as lemons. He yelled, and tried to cover his face with his hands, which had also swollen to the size of dinner plates. He stood up, terrified, and stumbled towards Professor Slughorn's desk, as tears as big as grapes flowed out of his eyes.

Beside her, Severus was laughing uncontrollably. "Did you see that? He looks like a pumpkin on a toothpick!" he exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes, as Slughorn called, "Mr Lupin – please take Mr Pettigrew to the hospital wing, he seems to have got a faceful of the Swelling Solution. There, there, Peter… Don't cry, now… Madam Pomfrey will put you right within no time…" She watched silently as Remus put an arm around Peter and led him out of dungeon.

"You did that, didn't you?" she said to Severus. "What? No!" he exclaimed. "I only helped him – it isn't my fault that he got some of his own potion on his hand and face!" He began to laugh again, but Lily didn't join in. She was sure that Severus had somehow got the potion of Peter's face. _I know what I saw_ , she thought… _The bottle was full when he went to submit it, but then he came back and filled it up again…_ So what happened to the potion already in it?

She stole a glance at Potter and Black, who seemed to be having a furious but silent fight. Black had his hand in his pocket; a second later, he drew his wand and pointed it at Severus, his face red with rage. Apparently, they had come to the same conclusion as she.

But before she could warn her still-laughing friend, she saw Potter restrain Black; he had caught Black's wand arm and was trying to make him lower it. After about five seconds, Black lowered his wand, and Potter's grip on his hand relaxed. Muttering furiously under his breath, Black pocketed his wand, shot her a look of pure anger and exited the dungeon. Potter followed him, but just as he left, he turned to her and looked at her, his hazel gaze furious. He quickly turned away and walked out.

She was sure that the Marauders had figured out Snape's role in Peter's head swelling like that. What struck her was the fact that they hadn't retaliated. She was sure that Black had almost attacked Severus, but Potter had stopped him, and she was sure it was because of his deal with her. Shaking her head slightly, she grabbed Severus's arm (he was still laughing) and guided him out of the dungeon with her.

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"That was really mean of Snape," said Liz fiercely as they both headed downstairs to the Great Hall for dinner. Lily silently agreed, but said, "Look, Liz – we don't know it was him, it could have been an accident. Severus only went to Peter to help him." She knew she sounded lame, but it was still the truth. Liz snorted. "Who are you kidding, Lil? I know it was him – he must have poured his potion over Peter's handkerchief, that's all – you know how nervous Peter gets during Potions, he was bound to wipe his face with it sooner or later, and Snape is certainly cunning enough to do things sneakily than brazenly."

Liz's theory tallied with hers, and it reinforced her suspicion towards Severus. "I guess he was getting back at the Marauders, Liz – after all, they do give him a hard time." Liz looked at her incredulously. "Are you seriously defending what he did? Look, I know that the Marauders are mean to Snape, but come on – targeting Peter – isn't that a little below the belt? If he had any guts, he'd have gone after James or Black – typical Slytherin, sneaky, cowardly, smelly –"

"OK, that's enough," said Lily before her usually-calm friend could work herself up even more. "I'm not defending what he did – and besides, this is between them, we don't need to interfere, Liz…" But Liz continued to look incredulous. " _Don't need to interfere?_ I'm sorry, Lil – but you already _have_ interfered! You made that stupid deal with James and the rest which prevents them from attacking him – even in retaliation!"

"Hey – I remember you _praising_ me for making that deal! You didn't think it was such a stupid deal when I made it then, did you?" asked Lily, stung.

"That was before I knew that Snape would abuse it like this!" exclaimed Liz.

"Well – look at it this way – if someone would have made a deal with Snape like that, and Potter and the rest found out about it, they would torment him to no end, and I don't think you'd have had a problem with that! I don't remember you stopping them when they torment him!"

Liz stopped suddenly, and turned to face her. Lily was shocked to see the suppressed anger in her best friend's sea-green eyes.

"Is that so, Lil? Do you really think so?" Liz asked, her voice low and furious.

"I – I didn't mean –"

"Last year – when they put a Slug-Vomiting Charm on him – who stopped them and told them to run away? And during the final week – who stopped them yet again, when they were using Snape as a large – what's that Muggle sport you and my Dad talked about over the summer? That, right, football – when they were using him as a football, kicking him around like that – who told them to go away? In case you don't remember – that was _yours truly_!" she shouted out the final two words.

Lily quickly grabbed her friend's hand and stared into her eyes pleadingly. She was wrong; Liz had helped Severus, unwillingly, disapprovingly, grudgingly even – but unfailingly, and she had just accused her best friend of being a silent spectator, when in fact she had had the guts to stop people from bullying someone who wasn't even her friend.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, and was relieved to see Liz calm down at once. "I didn't mean to say that – I really didn't. I know you don't like Severus very much, but I'm grateful towards you for tolerating him – I know you do it only for my sake. I shouldn't have said that. Forgive me?" she added pleadingly.

There was a second's pause, following which Liz's face split into a grin. "Come on – when you apologize with so much feeling, it's impossible _not_ to forgive you!" To her relief, her friend hugged her quickly. "It's OK – just don't expect me to be nice to Snape after that trick he pulled. I'm not going to talk to him, and I'm just going to ignore him."

"That's fair," conceded Lily. "I don't expect you to be nice to him anyway – in fact, after what happened today, I'm not sure whether even _I_ will be nice to him. I feel so _bad_ – I made that deal with Potter with good intentions – but Severus just poured water over my efforts to make peace – even if it was only temporary."

"Well – the intent matters less than the result," said Liz sagely. Lily looked at her, astonished. "Since when do you quote proverbs?" Liz blushed. "It was something I heard my Mum say to my Dad – after we'd gone to see a Quidditch match – it was a Beater who wanted to hit the opposing Seeker as both Seekers were diving for the Snitch, but he ended up hitting his own team's Seeker, and cost them the match – Mum said that everyone knew he didn't intend to hit his own teammate, but it cost them the game nonetheless, and the phrase sort of stuck in my head; it seemed apt to use it here."

Lily laughed and linked her arm through Liz's. "Well, apt it certainly was – and Potter, for whatever reason, seems to be holding up his end of the bargain. I mean, he stopped Black from attacking Severus today. He did give me an angry look, though – it happened exactly as you said, Potter didn't retaliate but he made his feelings clear about it. How did you know that it would happen this way?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "Because – I'm his _friend_. I'm your friend too, but I'm his and Black's friend as well. And it's like I said before – Potter is chivalrous and believes in keeping promises. He may not like it, but he will do it all the same. That's just how he is."

"You really understand him – and the others, too."

"I know," said Liz, a little smugly, as they entered the Great Hall for dinner.

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As November faded into December, Severus's retaliatory regime against the Marauders showed no signs of fading. Lily felt guilty every time he played a prank on them; she tried to talk him out of it, be he wasn't in a mood to relent. He had jinxed Potter in one Potions class as Slughorn had asked him a question; as she had found out later, it was a jinx that glued your tongue to the top of your mouth for a full minute, so that as Potter opened his mouth, all he could make was a choking noise, and had to sit back down, red-faced. She was sure that Potter knew that Severus had been the one to jinx him, but he still hadn't done anything in return, and she grudgingly appreciated it. However, with Severus's increasing pranks, she knew she wouldn't mind if Potter did retaliate; in this case, Severus certainly would have deserved it. Perhaps then he'd stop being such a prat, she thought angrily.

Then there was the time he had tripped Black as the latter climbed the staircase (she hadn't been around to see it, but Liz had told her what had happened in great detail). Black had been halfway up, and with Severus shooting a Trip Jinx at him, he'd fallen and gotten stuck into the trick step she never failed to avoid. Black had shouted obscenities, and Liz had told her that Severus had been brazen about it, laughing openly along with Mulciber and Rosier, who had been with him at the time. Liz had also warned her that her tolerance was waning, and it was only because he was Lily's friend that she couldn't bring herself to attack him.

She was reading in the common room one Saturday afternoon (Severus hadn't been able to meet her that day for their weekly study session, so she'd preferred to sit in the common room instead) when the portrait hole opened and Remus and Peter clambered in, the former looking serious, while the latter was beaming. They spotted her and made a beeline for her at once; she put down her book as they came up to her table.

"What's up, boys?" she asked them. Peter beamed even more.

"You'll never guessed what happened, Lily!" he exclaimed, excitedly. He threw himself in the chair in front of her, and Remus followed suit, his face still a little serious.

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

"Well – I have some bad news," said Remus mildly. _What could be the bad news? And why is Peter so happy if it's bad news?_

"What is it?" she asked, a little tensely.

"Well – Liz just landed herself in detention," said Remus, and her stomach constricted at once.

"Oh _no_!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Well – long story –" he started to say, but Peter let out a shout of laughter. "Come on, Remus – it was awfully amazing!"

"Why don't _you_ tell her what happened, then, Pete?" asked Remus irritably.

"Sure, why not?" said Peter, and Lily faced him instead. "Well?" she asked.

"It happened like this – you see, me and Remus were waiting for James and Sirius to come back from James's Quidditch practice, so that we could have a pre-dinner snack in the kitchens. But then…"

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"There they are," said Remus, and he turned around to see James, Sirius and Liz walking towards them. "It's about time," he said, his stomach rumbling, "I'm famished!"

Remus looked at him in astonishment. "Pete – you had lunch just a couple of hours ago!"

"So?" he asked, "I'm still hungry, and I could do with a couple of cupcakes!"

Remus shook his head as the others joined them.

"Ready?" asked James, swinging his broomstick over his shoulder. "Yep!" said Peter, and Remus rolled his eyes. Ignoring him, Peter asked, "What kept you?"

"Well, Pete – Frank wants us to practise in all weathers," said James, "And this being the last practice before the holidays – he discussed the plays we would be practising in the new year, see? Took a while." Peter shook his head as Sirius asked Liz, "You coming, Hunt?"

"Nah, you lot carry on with your gluttony," she said. "I'll see you at dinner." Sirius shrugged.

Just as Liz turned to go to the common room, however, a cold voice from behind them spoke up.

"Well, well – look who it is," said the voice, and Peter turned around to see Severus Snape, with Evan Rosier. Peter remembered with a pang of shame how Snape had poured the Swelling Solution on his handkerchief, and how he'd gone to pieces when his face had ballooned up. Snape had his wand drawn and was pointing it to them. "Let's see – who's the lucky one today?" Rosier grinned evilly and said, "Go for Black, Severus!"

At that, Sirius quickly drew his own wand. "Try me," he said angrily. James caught hold of his wand hand, though. "No, Sirius – we made a deal – not now," he said, but Peter could see that he was shaking with anger.

"I don't care about your stupid deal with Evans!" Sirius yelled, his face red, "I wasn't the one who made it! Now get off me – and we'll treat this knobhead how he should be treated!" But James didn't let go of Sirius's hand.

"Look – it's just for a week more – then we're free to do what we want – and you," he said to Snape, his eyes flashing dangerously, "You wait – you'll never know what hit you!"

"You're all talk, Potter," said Snape derisively, "All talk and no action. How about I jonx you instead? What about it, Evan?" he asked his companion, who said, "Take your pick, Severus – they're all sitting ducks at the moment!"

But before Snape could say another word, Liz came and stood in front of them.

"All right, that's enough," she said, and brandished her own wand. "This idiot –" she indicated James, "—was stupid enough to make a stupid deal with a girl who was just trying to protect you, but you clearly haven't learnt the value of her friendship with you. You've abused your advantage too much, and that's enough. Walk away, you two," she said, her eyes narrowed, "Walk away, now."

There was hesitation in Snape's eyes for a split second, but it was replaced by a cold look. "No way, Huntington," he said angrily, "They have troubled me for long enough, it's only fair I jinx them now."

"I'll tell you what's fair," said Liz, her tone disdainful, "You're attacking someone who won't fight back. You're nothing but a little coward, Snape. This is your last chance. Walk away now, or else fight with someone who can, and will, fight back."

"Go Hunt," whispered James from behind her.

Snape's face contorted with rage, and he raised his wand, but Liz was too quick for him; she yelled, " _Cuferius!_ " Snape recoiled, and blood began to flow from both his nostrils. "Still think you're so tough? Think again!" shouted Liz derisively, advancing on him, but –

"Miss Huntington!"

Peter instinctively took a step back as Professor McGonagall hurried towards them.

"Why are you attacking Mr Snape, Miss Huntington?" she asked, her nostrils flaring, before bending over Snape and helping him to his feet. " _Episkey!_ " she said, and Snape's nosebleed stopped at once. "Mr Rosier – take Mr Snape to the Hospital Wing. Go, now," she commanded, and Rosier obeyed at once; swinging Snape's arm over his shoulders, the pair of them walked away.

"Detention, Miss Huntington," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight, my office. We never use magic in corridors."

"He was going to attack us, Professor!" James protested before Liz could even say a word.

"Was he now?" asked Professor McGonagall, "And did he?"

"Well, er, no," said James, "But that was because Liz was way too quick for him –"

"Be that as it may, Potter, but Miss Huntington has broken the rules, and she will be punished for that. Come with me, Miss Huntington, we must talk about your conduct," said Professor McGonagall sternly.

"This is unfair!" said Sirius angrily, "Snape started it!"

"Enough," said Professor McGonagall, her beady eyes flashing, "Come with me, Miss Huntington." Wordlessly, Liz obeyed, her expression still defiant but her shoulders drooping.

"This is unfair," James repeated, "Come on, Sirius!"

Liz turned back at them and smiled gratefully. Peter and Remus watched as James and Sirius followed Professor McGonagall, still protesting Liz's innocence.

"C'mon – we'd better tell Lily," said Remus from beside him.

He grinned suddenly. "That – was – incredible!" he exclaimed. "I feel renewed respect for Liz, I really do!"

"Renewed?" said Remus dryly, "Does it mean you'd lost respect for her before?"

He made a face. "Understand the sentiment, mate," he said, still beaming, "It felt wonderful to see her attack Snape like that. She was _brilliant_!"

Remus smiled slightly but made no comment, and they started to walk back to the common room…

XXXXXXXXXX End of Peter's POV XXXXXXXXXX

"And that's that," finished Peter enthusiastically, "Bottom line – Liz has a detention for attacking Snape!"

There was a pause, and she mulled over what Peter had just narrated. True, she was disappointed that Liz had to suffer a detention for coming to the defence of Potter and Black, of all people, but she secretly felt proud of her friend. To her surprise, she wasn't feeling at all sad that her best friend had attacked her other best friend. She knew that she didn't approve of Severus taking advantage of a deal she had made for his protection, no less… And she also knew that Liz would've stood up for her friends… She didn't exactly hesitate to do what was right…

"Well," she said carefully, "If she attacked him, he probably deserved it." When they looked astonished, she said, "What? I know what a prick he was being, so she must have had a good reason to do it!"

"She did," asserted Remus.

"I just hope Professor McGonagall doesn't give her a hard time," said Lily fretfully.

"Don't worry," said Remus reassuringly, "James and Sirius have gone to McGonagall as well, they're trying to get her out of it."

She felt an unwilling stab of gratitude towards Potter and Black. They may be pricks, but she was starting to realize that their hearts seemed to be in the right place, at least. _You idiot, Severus_ , she thought furiously. Liz in detention… _He's going to catch it from me_ , she decided fiercely. _Oh, wait till the next time I see him. He's really going to catch it…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's note** : So, what do you think about Peter's POV? Because Harry is viewing his mother's memories, there's no other way things can be seen from someone else's POV, unless they're narrating the incident to Lily. I hope to insert more such POV's of other characters as I progress! Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	15. Chapter 14

Thanks for the review, Guest. Here is chapter fourteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fourteen**

" **If** _ **you**_ **jinxed him, he probably deserved it."**

Liz didn't turn up for dinner that night, so Lily just ate with Marlene and Mary, who noticed her preoccupation and asked her about it, following which she narrated the entire incident to her two friends. Marlene immediately burst into a furious tirade about Severus, and Lily didn't really argue; she was just as angry with him as Marlene, especially because he'd been responsible for getting Liz into detention. The three girls walked back, with Lily dawdling a little behind the other two, lost in her own thoughts.

She hadn't seen Severus at dinner. He was still in the Hospital Wing, she supposed; otherwise, he would have certainly sought her out to relate his account of the incident. She didn't really feel like listening to what he had to say, but he was still her friend, however badly he may have behaved. She knew, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that she would have to go and visit him, at least see if he was all right. _He'd do the same for me_ , she thought, and in spite of herself, stopped in her tracks.

"Marlene – Mary?" she called, and the other two girls stopped and turned around. "What is it, Lily?" asked Mary, a questioning look in her amber eyes.

She hesitated. "Well – it's just that – I'm going to see Severus in the Hospital Wing," she said.

Marlene snorted. "You're going to _see_ him?" she repeated, a little mockingly, "Lil – he tried to attack Liz! He's getting nothing but a cold shoulder from me," she continued huffily. Mary looked at her and said, "Lil, come on – do you think it's a good idea – after what happened today?"

She considered. "Well – I'm not _just_ going to visit him – I'm also going to yell at him for attacking Liz! I mean, what was he thinking?" she exclaimed. _Wow, that was some quick thinking,_ she thought to herself. _On second thought, I'm really going to tell him off. What in the world was he thinking?_

Marlene grinned. "Hey, now you're talking!" she said happily. "In that case jinx him from me too, OK?"

She smiled back, a little unwillingly. "I think I may forgive him in the end, though," she said thoughtfully, and the smile wiped off of Marlene's face, while Mary's mouth opened in surprise. "What?" she asked defensively, "He may have messed up, but he's still my friend – and that's what friends do, isn't it? They forgive each other," she added firmly.

Marlene snorted again. "Well, yes, friends do forgive each other – but when one's friends attack one's other friends, one really has to choose," she said, a little derisively. Mary shushed Marlene and said to Lily, "Just think carefully, Lil – do you think it's a good idea to visit Snape right now – especially after Liz is the one who has to suffer?"

"He'd do the same for me," she said, still firm, though with less conviction than before. "I'll see you later, OK?"

Marlene sighed and said, "OK, see you later." Mary simply nodded. Neither of them looked very approving. "See you in a bit," she said, and turned around to head towards the Hospital Wing.

She wondered where Liz was. She hoped her best friend was all right; Liz was generally punctual for all meals, and rarely missed even a single one. So where was she now? Why hadn't she been at dinner? Had any nasty Slytherins attacked her in retaliation? A sudden fear gripped her heart, and she hastened her pace. She would quickly go to the Hospital Wing, see Severus, give him a piece of her mind, and return to the common room.

Before she knew it, she was at the Hospital Wing. She slowly opened the door and peered inside. There were at least twenty beds, all arranged parallel to each other, in two rows. She walked through the space between the two rows, and made her way to the only occupied bed. One look at the occupant told her that it was a stranger; it was a fifth-year girl she'd passed numerous times in the corridor. Wasn't she a Prefect? And where was Severus?

Realizing that she'd just reached Madam Pomfrey's office, she knocked on its door gently. "Enter," called a female voice, and taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. The matron was seated behind a table, and she looked up just as Lily entered her office.

"Yes, Miss – er –"

"Evans, Madam Pomfrey," she supplied quickly, and the matron nodded. "Well, Miss Evans?"

"Er – I came to visit my friend – Severus Snape – he was here earlier for a nosebleed –"

The matron smiled. "Yes, Miss Evans – I remember, it's the second time Mr Snape has been admitted here with a nosebleed in this term. However, unlike last time, where I made him stay the night as a precaution, he was fine today… He said that Professor McGonagall mended his nose immediately, so I just cleaned him up a bit, gave him some Blood-Replenishing Potion, and sent him on his way. He should be just fine now."

"Oh," she said shortly. So he wasn't here. Why hadn't he sought her out to explain himself?

"I don't keep students here for longer that it's absolutely necessary," Madam Pomfrey said lightly, "What with limited number of beds and all…"

She only nodded mutely in response. She was feeling angry and disappointed with Severus.

Perhaps Madam Pomfrey had sensed that she wasn't in a chatty mood, because she said, "Well, sweetheart, it's getting late… So you'd best get back to your common room."

She nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," she said shortly, gave the matron a small smile, and walked out of her office and the Hospital Wing.

She brooded over Severus's behaviour over the past few weeks as she walked. She was livid that her good intentions had backfired, and she was sure that it was her fault that Liz was serving detention that night. If she hadn't forced Potter and his friends to leave Severus alone, he wouldn't have taken undue advantage of it, and Liz wouldn't have been compelled to attack him whilst defending the boys. Well, Severus wouldn't even have gone after the Marauders if she hadn't told him about her deal with Potter. _It's my fault_ , she thought, and tears of anger sprang in her eyes. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going; she blindly turned a corner, and walked into someone.

She stumbled backwards, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and prevented her from falling backwards. "Watch where you're going, Evans!" a familiar voice. It sounded a little cross.

"Black?"

"The one and only," said Sirius Black, standing before her. He let go of her shoulders once he saw that she had regained her balance. He wasn't alone; standing to his left was Potter, his gaze unfriendly, while to his right stood a forlorn-looking Liz, whose face brightened at once as she saw her.

"Liz!" she squealed, and hugged her best friend, who hugged her back with great gusto. "Where have you been? I was worried!" she exclaimed as they broke apart.

Liz shrugged. "James and Black took me to the kitchens for dinner. They thought it would cheer me up, which it did – thanks, boys," she added, looking at them gratefully, to which Black nodded, and Potter said, "Anytime, Hunt. Actually, we should be the ones thanking you – you showed us that you've always got our back."

Liz grinned. "No problem. If McGonagall hadn't come when she did, I'd have beaten Snape into a pulp – he'd have deserved it, Lil," she added quickly, looking at her. Potter and Black regarded her silently, too; clearly, they were unsure as to how they should be talking about Severus in front of her.

She looked directly into Liz's sea-green eyes. "I'm sorry, Liz – it's my fault you've got detention tonight," she said to her best friend. Liz beamed at her. "Are you crazy? Don't apologize, you idiot – come here –" Her best friend pulled her into another quick hug. They broke apart, and Liz said proudly, "I don't mind doing a detention for protecting my friends."

"I knew that if _you_ jinxed Severus, he deserved it," she said firmly. It was true. Liz had been telling her all week about how she couldn't _not_ do anything after the way Severus was treating the Marauders.

Liz grinned at her gratefully. "I wasn't sure how you were going to react after I told you that I'd jinxed him. These two –" she indicated the boys "—even made a bet about it." And sure enough, Potter said to Black, "Pay up!" Black handed over a Galleon sulkily, and said, "You could've been a little unreasonable, Evans – like you are with _us_! Why did you not react with your usual fury?"

She faced him squarely. "Because I'm not unreasonable, and she's my friend," she said proudly. Black snorted but didn't say anything.

"What are you doing here, anyway, Evans?" Potter asked her.

"Well – I was looking for Liz – but firstly, I went to the Hospital Wing to see Severus," she said. Catching the furiously dismayed looks on each of their faces, she added quickly, "To tell him off." To her relief, their faces relaxed at once. "I was – I still am – furious with him for attacking you. The prat!" she exclaimed. Then she asked them, "Are you on your way to detention, Liz?"

Liz's shoulders drooped. "Yeah. These two were coming to drop me off. Which reminds me, we'd better get going, or McGonagall will give me another detention for being tardy."

"Yep," said Potter, and the three of them made to set off, but she said, "Wait – I'll come too."

"Thanks," said Liz quietly, squeezing her hand gratefully. "Anytime," she whispered back. They all set off towards the Transfiguration classroom.

They walked along in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. Before she knew it, she was in front of the Transfiguration classroom. "Well – good luck, Hunt – it won't be so bad," said Black bracingly, and Potter patted her shoulder in support. "It'll be over soon," said Lily reassuringly.

Liz waved at them, smiled bravely ad entered the classroom. They all stood outside for a few seconds before Black said, "Well – that's that. Common room?" he added, looking at them inquiringly. She nodded, and Potter said, "Yes." They set off towards the common room silently.

The thing she had been bursting to say came out at last. "Potter – Black – just a minute," she said, and they stopped and turned to look at her. "What?" asked Potter.

"Well, Potter – the deal's off," she said, and smiled grimly at the astonishment on their faces. "Look, I _know_ that he was being a real prick. I didn't think he would do that once I told him that you were going to leave him alone – I really thought he'd stay out of your way, too, and that there would be peace between you all – but unfortunately, it didn't work out like I thought it would."

"Yeah," said Potter, "Decent plan, Evans, but that part didn't work out. You forgot to take into account what a git your friend is."

She merely nodded humourlessly; she knew that she wasn't really in a position to contest that point, especially after how Severus's bad behaviour had been on display for the past month. "I don't blame you for thinking like that," she said, trying to empathize with them (for the first time ever, it seemed to her), and the surprise on their faces grew.

She took a deep breath and said, "Look, Severus is my friend, so allow me to apologize on his behalf." Then, as they continued to look gobsmacked, she continued, "Also, this was never my intention. I tried to make you boys leave him alone – but I didn't think it would backfire like this, so in a way, I'm responsible, and so – I'm sorry," she finished, lowering her eyes in shame.

The sound of laughter made her look up. "Well I – never!" exclaimed Black, "Lily Evans apologizing to us? _Whatever_ is the world coming to?" Potter joined in his laughter.

She bristled. _Prats_ , she thought angrily… _I'm trying to make amends here, and they're finding it a joke?_ But before she could say a word, Potter cut her off by saying, "Well – it's all right, Evans – we know you didn't put him up to it, so don't blame yourself." She nodded, relieved, as he said further, "It was his own fault, and it's not fair that Hunt has to be the one punished – just for being better than Snape at duelling," he finished, anger in his voice.

"Yeah, that reminds me – thanks, you two, for trying help Liz – Remus and Peter told me how you followed Professor McGonagall, trying to get her out of detention," she said to the boys, who grinned.

"She has our backs, so we have hers, too," said Black matter-of-factly. Potter grinned and added, "Don't worry about it, Evans – we'd do that for you, too."

She was surprised. Potter wasn't even a friend of hers. "You would?" she asked him uncertainly.

"We would?" repeated Black, clearly just as surprised as he was.

Potter frowned. "Of course we would. We'd do that for any friend of ours – and for you, too, because – just like what you said earlier about Hunt, I'm sure that if you jinx someone, they'd probably deserve it, too."

She smiled at him with gratitude. _He has his moments_ , she thought. If only he was like this all the time – loyal, chivalrous and protective of others – rather than such a pain – she probably would have been friends with him. Then again, he hated her best friend, so them being friends would have still been a little unrealistic…

"Thanks, Potter," she said, and he nodded. "C'mon," he said, and they started to walk once again.

"Also – thanks for holding up your end of the deal," she said to him. "I saw it myself – plus Liz and Peter told me too – how you restricted Black here repeatedly from retaliation." Potter said from ahead of her, "I was actually counting down days till Christmas, Evans. Fair warning to you – there's going to be retribution, and it's going to be nasty," he continued grimly.

"Well – just try not to be too nasty," she said, and they stopped and turned around. "You're full of surprises today, aren't you, Evans?" Potter asked her. She grinned. "Well – consider this as me making amends for his treatment of you – especially Peter." They nodded, still a little surprised. She rolled her eyes at their faces and said, "I'm not entirely unreasonable, Black – see?" He just nodded, and they walked in silence till they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Fortis," said Potter, and the portrait hole opened. They climbed into the common room.

"Well – I'm going to be staying here till Liz gets back," she said to the boys. "OK, then, see you later," said Black, and Potter nodded briefly at her. She nodded back at them, and they set off to join Remus and Peter. She climbed up to her dormitory, grabbed her Herbology textbook, and returned to the common room. She settled into a comfortable armchair near the fire, and began to read up on what was expected in the next week, waiting for Liz to return.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lily!"

Someone was shaking her. Drowsily, she opened her eyes.

"Lily!" someone said urgently, and her sleep-clouded brain recognized who it was; it was Liz. She sat up straight, blinking rapidly until the room came into focus.

"I'm up! I'm up!" she said hoarsely, and faced her friend, who frowned.

"What're you still doing here?" asked Liz.

"I was waiting for you," she said, stretching a little now that she was up, "But I must've fallen asleep – what time is it?"

"It's past midnight," said Liz. Lily stared at her.

"McGonagall kept you past midnight? Whatever did she make you do?"

"Nah, she let me go at eleven – with a note explaining why I was out late… In case I ran into any teachers or prefects – and it wasn't so bad," said Liz dismissively, "Mostly it was just me doing lines for her. 'I must not attack people, how much ever they deserve it.' At least, that's what it should have been…"

"What did she make you write, then?" asked Lily, amused.

"She made me write, 'I must not attack people.' I mean, what's the point? Mum always said that detentions are supposed to be us helping out the teachers with some particular tasks, like sorting, cleaning, looking for stuff…"

"Are you saying you'd rather be cleaning than doing lines?"

"Well, no, but –"

"Then stop complaining," said Lily, and smiled. Liz smiled resignedly. "Well, at least it wasn't too hard. I did have to listen to McGonagall go on about how I must keep my temper in check –"

Lily laughed at the irony; Liz was one of the calmest people she knew. _Fancy asking_ her _to not lose her temper_ , she thought.

"Anyway, she didn't say anything after I told her why I had attacked Snape. She just told me to go to a teacher the next time something like this happens, rather than take matters into my own hands – as if I'm going to do that," she added derisively.

"Well – so why did you wake me up as though the, er – sky was falling?" Lily asked, yawning a little. As an afterthought, she added, "And if you left at eleven, what took you so long to come back here?"

Liz tutted. "My, my, your sarcasm is really bad when you've just been woken up," she said, her eyes glinting mischievously. Lily punched her lightly on the arm. "Just answer the questions," she said shortly.

The mischievous glint in Liz's eyes vanished immediately; it was replaced by a dark and serious look. "Well – I left the classroom at eleven, and on my way back, I saw someone I recognized –"

"Who?" interrupted Lily, baffled. Who would be out so late?

"It was – well, I know you won't like this, Lily – but I saw, well, one of Snape's friends," said Liz, a little unwillingly. Lily's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Who?"

"The creepy one – Mulciber."

Lily frowned. "What was he doing there?"

"That's what I wanted to know," said Liz, "I mean, why was he skulking about at the dead of night? So, I followed him," she added importantly.

"And?" asked Lily, worried about the answer to her next question, "What was he doing?"

Liz considered. "Well – it went like this…"

XXXXXXXXXXX Liz's POV XXXXXXXXXX

She walked along the corridor, massaging her aching arm. _I wish McGonagall hadn't made me write five thousand lines_ , she thought resentfully as she arrived at the corner when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Her keen eyes noted that a shadow was advancing from the left side of the passage perpendicular to hers. She quickly threw herself against the wall, hoping that whoever was coming didn't see her. It was probably a prefect, she thought. In any case, I have the note from McGonagall… But her instinct told her to hide until she was absolutely sure of who the figure was, and she pressed herself further against the wall just as the shadow passed the intersection of both corridors.

She couldn't stop a sharp intake of breath as she immediately recognized who it was. It was Pernicus Mulciber, one of the Slytherins in her year and someone she heartily disliked. What was he doing here, sneaking around? She hesitated for a split second, but just as it had last year, curiosity got the better of her, and she began to follow him.

She tiptoed as quietly as she could. She wasn't exactly scared of Mulciber, but he was just – well, creepy. His soft voice and his malevolent gaze always made him seem bestial. But she was sure that if he saw her, she would welcome the opportunity to duel him. _I'll give him a nosebleed too_ , she thought derisively, and her hand instinctively gripped her wand handle tightly. She was prepared to defend herself if he realized that she was following her…

But he skulked along quietly, and she followed him without incident, until he turned another corner. She peeked around the wall and nearly gasped with surprise: there was an open classroom in the corridor ahead, and Mulciber entered it. She hesitated for about two seconds, before quickly creeping along the wall until she was just outside the classroom. She pressed her ear against the wall, close to the doorframe, and began to eavesdrop.

"So, Mulciber – you're finally here. You took your own sweet time," a cold, drawling voice spoke. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it. Where had she heard that voice before?

"Sorry, Lucius – I got lost," she heard Mulciber speak, and she had to suppress another gasp of surprise. _Lucius Malfoy!_

"Well, Mulciber – the Dark Lord prefers his followers to be punctual – and also, intelligent. So far, you haven't demonstrated any of the above two qualities, so if you want to be a part of this meeting – and any more in future – you must arrive on time. Understood?"

"Yes – sorry, Lucius," Mulciber spoke, his voice sounding cowed.

"Good – now, take your seat, so that we can finally begin the meeting for the benefit of the rest, who, you'll do well to note, weren't late."

She was itching to see who else was at that meeting. Did she dare to take a little peek through the door? But before she could, Lucius Malfoy spoke up again, and she drew back immediately.

"All right – now that all of you are here, let us begin."

She heard the scraping of a chair on the floor. She quickly went down on her knees, and slowly peeked into the room around the doorframe.

She could make out a figure seated in a chair, and she recognized the profile at once; a prominent chin and white-blond hair, along with how regally the person sat, told her that it was Lucius Malfoy. Based on the number of chair-legs in front of him, there were at least six or seven other people in the room. And behind his chair… Liz's eyes widened in surprise at the familiarity of the boy who stood there, like some sort of bodyguard. She had followed him once too: it was Travers. She quickly drew back and took in a deep breath.

"Now, boys… You have all been called here because you all have something in common. You all come from prominent pure-blood families… Mulciber – Rosier – Hamilton – Wilkes – Rookwood – Armitage – Selwyn – Avery – all old Wizarding surnames that carry along with them a certain honour," drawled Malfoy. "It is considered to be a privilege to be related to people with these last names."

He paused. She supposed that he was pausing for dramatic effect. _What a windbag_ , she thought. He spoke up again, and she hastened to catch on to his every word.

"You may have noticed that in present day, old, pure-blooded Wizarding families are losing their importance. The inbreeding with filth such as Muggles and Mudbloods has meant that few old Wizarding families have already become impure, meaning that there are no pureblood wizards or witches left for future generations."

Malfoy continued to talk.

"There is a need to purify the Wizarding society once again. There is a need to fight the fraternization with Muggles and Mudbloods – we don't even know where Mudbloods get their magic from, and all things unknown must be crushed before they rise up as a threat to all pureblood Wizardkind. And – there is one person who is willing to give us a chance to do this, to make the Wizarding world pure again."

Liz was sure that she had accidentally stumbled upon some sort of top secret recruitment meeting for – what was the dark wizard's name again? Yes, Lord Voldemort – even the Daily Prophet referred to him as You-Know-Who, so afraid were they to even _write_ his name in print. She remembered Dumbledore telling them at the end of last year that Lord Voldemort was responsible for a number of deaths. A cold shiver ran up her spine, and for the first time, she wished that she hadn't followed Mulciber here. _I'm a fool_ , she thought. _How do I manage to get mixed up into all this again and again?_

Travers spoke up, "Why couldn't we have just met in the dungeons, Lucius? It's a lot less risky!"

"Because, you idiot, it was my night to patrol, so I couldn't miss this opportunity! After midnight, the teachers patrol the corridors, and that doubles the risk of being caught! Because I was patrolling tonight, I could ensure a free passage for you all to this classroom, and I even sent Kate Johnson – my fellow Prefect – to patrol another part of the castle. She doesn't have a clue about what's happening here. Now, where were we? Ah – yes – the person who will make the Wizarding world pure again."

His voice dropped, and Liz craned her ears to listen.

"This person is known as the Dark Lord. He is the greatest wizard in the world at the moment. He has pushed the limits of magic beyond what people thought were rigid boundaries. He can do anything with a wand. He understands the need to keep magic in the hands of the purebloods, and is willing to fight for this cause.

"However, he cannot do this alone, for the Ministry supports Muggleborns and blood equality. And while the administration takes such a stand, it isn't possible to fight them with – ah – conventional means. We need someone – preferably, someone of action – to lead us. And the Dark Lord is such a person. He will lead this fight."

Liz sneaked another peek, just in time to see Malfoy lean forward. She struggled to listen to what he was saying, because he was speaking even more softly than before.

"Now – there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Your parents know that I'm speaking to you – indeed, they themselves told me to do it. Think about it. Whether or not you want to join the fight – that is entirely up to you. You're still young – you're in your second and third years. But if you want to join the fight for blood purity, you're free to approach me – or Travers here. We will guide you, and we will even teach you some advanced magic – magic of the Dark Lord's brand. And then – _then_ you will be ready to face everyone – _everyone_ who supports the filth that are Muggleborns!"

So there it was. This was a meeting to recruit students in her year, and the year above hers – to follow You-Know-Who and his ideology. _This is sick_ , she thought, revolted. How could people her age do this?

"Now, the final point – you all are free to discuss this with your parents, and make your decision based on what they say. If you have any doubts about the Dark Lord's power, a demonstration will be given sometime around Christmas –"

Suddenly, to her dismay, she felt a sneeze coming. _No – no – no_ , she thought desperately, and held her breath in an attempt to hold it in, but it was of no use. At the last minute, she covered her mouth with her handkerchief, closed her eyes, and sneezed.

The handkerchief muffled most of her sneeze, but she was sure that she had been heard; her fears were confirmed as she realized that Malfoy had gone silent. "Who's there?" he called, his voice silky.

She knew that it was time to go – she was horribly outnumbered, and if they caught her, she was sure that the consequences would be dire. Concentrating with all her might, as she heard footsteps move to the door, she raised her wand and muttered, " _Atrufumus!_ "

Black smoke billowed from her wand. She turned her heel and fled down the corridor, praying that the smoke would buy her a few seconds to escape. _What a good idea it was to practise that spell_ , she thought as she ran. First, she had looked it up in a library book. She had learnt the incantation, the wand movement, and had practised it alone whenever she'd got a moment of solitude. Only two days ago, she had mastered it. She had decided to wait until she mastered it completely before she told Lily, so that with her help, Lily would master it without spending as much time on it as she had.

She looked behind; to her relief, no one was following her, and as she looked around, she realized that she was in familiar territory; it was the corridor that led to the Hospital Wing. She began to walk back to the common room, hardly paying attention to where she was going, so preoccupied was she with what she'd just seen and heard.

So Lucius Malfoy was recruiting students to join the Dark Lord. It was a prominent piece of information that she knew had to reach Dumbledore straightaway. It looked as if Malfoy had knowledge of a possible attack (What else could he mean by demonstration of the Dark Lord's power?) somewhere, during the Christmas holidays… _Or he could just be bluffing for self-importance_ , said a voice in her head. She had to think that one through.

She hurried along the last few feet and stopped, panting, in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Fortis," she gasped. "That's right, dear," said the Fat Lady, and the portrait hole opened. She quickly climbed into the common room and looked around; at once, she spotted a red-haired girl sleeping in one of the armchairs, her head resting on the table in front of her. It was Lily, and Liz felt a sudden rush of gratitude and affection for her best friend, who she guessed had been waiting for her to return. _I have to tell Lily_ , she thought; she immediately rushed to her friend's side, and began to shake her awake…

XXXXXXXXXX End of Liz's POV XXXXXXXXXX

Lily just sat there, open-mouthed, as Liz finished her narrative. A lot of things ran through her head… Malfoy… The second-years… Recruitment… And an attack during Christmas… "We have to tell Professor Dumbledore," she said firmly.

Liz nodded. "Yes, but not now," she said, "Tomorrow… We'll go tomorrow… Oh dear, Lil – d'you realize how horrible those people are? They're asking people in our year – _our year_ – to join the Dark Lord, in a cause that possibly involves violence –"

"I know," she said softly, "And they're going to target people like me," she added in a small voice. Her fear for her own – and her family's – safety – was beginning to rise again, and she took a deep, steadying breath. Liz squeezed her hand. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly, "You'll be safe. We'll keep you safe," she added stoutly.

Lily smiled at Liz gratefully. "And you'll teach me that black smoke spell?" she asked hopefully.

Liz grinned. "Yeah, I will. It'll have to do for now."

"For now?" she repeated, nonplussed.

"Yes, because – while it did help me escape today – it was a close shave. That stupid sneeze gave me away," Liz said angrily. "We need something more efficient, something which will make sure that we can stand there without fear in spite of little mishaps like sneezing and coughing."

"What do you mean?" asked Lily. She looked at her friend, who had a determined look in her sea-green eyes.

"I think it's time we started trying to learn the Disillusionment Charm again," Liz said resolutely.

"Done," said Lily, "Now, can we go to bed? We have to go to Professor Dumbledore in the morning." Liz nodded, and they set off towards their dormitory, each immersed in their own thoughts…

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	16. Chapter 15

Hello everyone, here is chapter fifteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **A Dark Christmas**

"So, I'll write to you," said Liz, as she quickly hugged Lily. "Yes, and don't you dare forget," she said, a little threateningly. "I'll get really bored with just Tuney to talk too… Which is just her calling me a freak most of the time…" She grimaced, and Liz shook her head. "Come on, Lil – if she calls you a freak, just throw that lizard on her, like we did last summer!" The memory of that incident reduced them to helpless, convulsive laughter. They stood laughing for a few seconds, until a female voice called out, "We haven't got all day, girls!"

They turned around (Lily had a stitch in her side) to see Mrs Huntington smiling at them. Behind her stood Mr and Mrs Evans, who were wearing snow jackets, hats and scarves, looking pleased at the sight of their younger daughter. Her heart filled with happiness as she saw her parents. I really missed them! "Daddy! Mummy!" she shouted, and ran forward; she hugged her parents with such gusto that she could've sworn her father let out a small 'Oof!' as she collided into him.

"I've missed you, Princess," he said softly as they broke apart. Her mother smiled fondly at her, before looking over her shoulder and saying, "Till January, then, Margaret!" She looked back in time to see Mrs Huntington wave at them and say, "Have a good Christmas, Dahlia, Larry – and Lily, too, of course – don't get into too much trouble at home!" she added, looking at Lily. She wagged her finger a little sternly as she spoke, but the mischief in her eyes gave her away. Lily smiled. "Of course, Mrs Huntington… See you!" Liz and her mother waved and walked away from the Evans family before disappearing into the crowd. Lily turned to her parents suspiciously.

"Since when are the two of you on first-name terms with Mrs Huntington?" she asked, bewildered. Mr Evans laughed. "Well, we got here a little early, Princess… We had some time to kill, and Mrs Huntington showed up. We've met her a couple of times, so we bought some tea and biscuits in that little station café as we sat waiting for your train to arrive… And we had a chat with her, too! She's a nice lady – a good sort!"

"Yeah, she's really nice," said Lily, nodding in agreement. They walked over to the car and Mr Evans placed her trunk in the boot. She settled herself on the backseat, welcoming the warmth; it was freezing outside. Her father got into the driver's seat, and within a few minutes, they were on their way.

"So where's Tuney?" asked Lily with forced brightness. Honestly, she was glad that her sister hadn't come to pick her up. _Petunia would have made some unsavoury comments_ , she thought. She was best left alone by her sister.

Mr Evans chuckled. "She's at your Aunt Jenny's, playing with the baby. She was so engrossed; she didn't even respond when I asked her if she wanted to come, so we just came on ahead." Lily laughed along with her parents, but wondered inwardly if Petunia had feigned deafness or interest with the baby in order to avoid seeing her at the station. In fact, now as she thought about it, her sister didn't even like babies…

Aunt Jenny was her mother's youngest sister, with Aunt Christine being the middle child. Aunt Christine lived and worked in Leicester, which was an hour's drive from Cokeworth, while Aunt Jenny lived in London; whenever they had to pick Lily up at the end of terms, she and her parents generally stayed at Aunt Jenny's overnight before making the drive back to Cokeworth the next day. Aunt Jenny had given birth to a second child while Lily was in school, and Lily was looking forward to seeing him for the first time.

She reflected upon what had transpired in the last week of term. Liz stumbling upon the secret meeting; the two of them talking to Professor Dumbledore, who told them to lie low and not to worry while he handled the situation; her apologising to Potter and Black, who had promised dire consequences for Severus; and Severus himself, attacking Liz…

With a pang of annoyance, she thought about his conduct over the past term for the umpteenth time. True, she had tried to protect him, but she had nearly ended up antagonizing her best friend in the process. Potter and Black hadn't taken it well, and even Remus had cold-shouldered her for the better part of the past month, something that had affected her but she hadn't shown it. With Severus acting like such a donkey, she'd tried to rein him in, until he had attempted to attack Liz. That had been the last straw; she had stopped talking to him after that. He had sought her out the next day and tried to apologise, but she had merely ignored him stonily. She had hopped onto the Hogwarts Express on the first day of the Christmas holidays without so much as a goodbye to him (he was staying at Hogwarts over the holidays), leaving him standing, looking most forlorn, in her wake. Lily Evans wasn't one to be crossed.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" her mother asked her from the front seat, and she came out of her reverie at once. "Yes," she said, a little flustered, "Just thinking about some things, that's all." Mrs Evans smiled kindly.

"Penny for your thoughts, dear," she said.

Lily debated inwardly on how much she should tell her parents without giving them too many details about the war that was currently engulfing the Wizarding world. She had subscribed to the Daily Prophet that year (her parents had been delighted with her interest in current affairs, and had even given her a fifty-pound bonus on her pocket money, which roughly converted to ten Galleons), and she had followed the news keenly. It was full of attacks on various small towns, with reports of a few killings and injuries. On an average, there was at least one attack per week.

She decided against talking about the war; she didn't want to worry her parents just yet. Instead, she decided to talk about her troubles at school. After all, it may be as far from normal as could be, but it was still a school, and the young wizards and witches who studied there were still boys and girls, which meant that the problems they would have with each other would be similar to the ones Muggle children would have, too. She gave a detailed description of the last month to her parents, and concluded by saying that she was angry with Severus and hadn't spoken to him for the past week.

"Well, sweetheart, that's quite an interesting time you're having at school, there," said her mother, a slight smile on her face. Her father laughed, and she said indignantly, "This is serious, Daddy! Come on – Severus and Liz are my best friends, and he tried to attack her!"

"Well, Princess, a person with two best friends who don't get along with each other – that's one of the most common things that happens at your age!" her father said, still laughing, "You just have to stay out of their business. They'll sort it out," he added.

"That would be true if they were friends with each other, Daddy – which they're not," she added fretfully, "They only tolerate each other for my sake. But they've never been openly hostile – until now. And it was entirely Severus's fault – which is why I'm angry with him!" she said moodily.

"There, there, sweetheart – I'm sure everything will be fine after Christmas," her mother said soothingly. Lily snorted.

"Unlikely," she said, "Potter and Black are arrogant pricks, and they make Severus's life miserable. But Severus – he isn't any less of a donkey. I mean, he shouldn't have tried to prank them or attack them so frequently – I feel Liz was justified in jinxing him, I really do, but it's just so – so frustrating!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down, sweetie," her mother said. She took a deep breath and continued, "Look, you need to understand that you cannot control everyone's behaviour towards each other. Some people get along well with each other. Others don't – everyone is different, and there will be clashes of opinion. I'm sure Severus felt justified, in his own way, that he could pay back – who were those naughty boys again? Oh yes, Black, and Potter – for troubling him. And those boys, too – they may be mischief makers, but based on what you told me, they seem to have semblances of good within them, and their hearts are in the right place. They held up their end of your deal, even if they didn't like doing it, and they endured all of Severus's pranks and taunts without retaliating even once."

Lily mulled over her mother's words. They were making a lot of sense to her. Mrs Evans continued to speak.

"Even Liz – she would've felt justified in calling him a coward, but then again that is subjective – especially because when he's attacked by those boys, it's generally two against one, isn't it?" She nodded. "There you go," her mother said further, "Sweetie, everyone doesn't think like you. Each person has their own point of view, and _that_ is what makes us intelligent humans."

"I'm beginning to understand," she said thoughtfully, and her mother smiled. "I knew you would in the end. Just leave them be, sweetheart. Don't interfere. Stand up for your friends when they're in trouble, but don't go around trying to fix things the way _you_ want them – it'll only make them worse."

"I won't, Mum," she agreed fervently, feeling much better. Her mother grinned widely.

"This Potter kid," said her father, who had been silent all this while, "Wasn't he with you at the end of last year, when you all went gallivanting out of school, playing detective?" He sounded a little stern, and she blushed. "Yes, Daddy," she said in a small voice. Her father continued, "And didn't you tell us that he tried to stop that bad girl from attacking you?"

"Yes, Daddy," she said again.

"And – from what you're telling us now – it looks like he stopped the other boy from retaliation against Severus – just because of your deal with him. Correct?" asked Mr Evans.

"Yes, Daddy," she said for a third time, and Mrs Evans said, "Get to the point, Larry!"

Mr Evans laughed and said, "Well, he seems to be a good sort, that one. He may be a troublemaker, but his heart appears to be in the right place. Kid's got honour and chivalry – I'll give him that. His parents have raised him well." The car stopped at a red signal at that point, and her father turned to face her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Maybe you should be friends with him instead of Severus."

She went red, and made a face. "Ugh, Daddy – I hope you're joking! James Potter is an arrogant berk, and I'd rather eat _dirt_ than be friends with him!" Her mother made a disapproving noise, but her father laughed.

"I like him," he said, much to her chagrin, "He sounds like a fun kid. Maybe we could invite him and his parents over for dinner one day, during the holidays. What do you think, Princess?" His grin widened, and she narrowed her eyes. "You do that, Daddy, and I'll just go to Liz for the remainder of the holidays," she said threateningly. Her mother laughed, and her father said, "You're no fun!" He sounded as though he'd been denied a treat.

"I can't stand him!" she burst out, "He's so annoying!"

Her father smiled knowingly. "Mark my words, Princess… You'll be friends with him one day, I guarantee it. He seems to be a decent sort."

Lily merely rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to reply. _Friends with James Potter, indeed,_ she thought, as the signal turned green and they began to move again. _Fat chance… That's not going to happen, not in a thousand years…_

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Lily woke up one morning, a few days before Christmas, to a soft tapping on her bedroom window. Blearily, she squinted towards the source of the noise; she discovered a barn owl outside her window, appearing to glow against the still-dark sky. She looked at her table-clock; it was nearly seven. Slightly put out at being woken up at such an early hour, she opened the window. "Hey, Gerulus," she barely had time to say before the barn-owl quickly flew inside her room, along with a cold blast of air. She quickly slammed the window shut before turning around to see Gerulus hopping on her bed excitedly.

"Yeah, it's cold out, isn't it?" she said to the owl, stroking its feathers. It gradually calmed down and closed its eyes. She retrieved the envelope tied to its leg, and noted that it seemed heavier than usual. She opened it to find another envelope inside, along with a piece of parchment. She glanced at the parchment and recognized the small, cramped scrawl – it was Severus's handwriting.

She frowned; Severus had written to her twice during the holiday so far, but she had simply read the letters before replacing them into their envelopes. Both letters were similar in tone – he apologised for his actions, and hoped that she would forgive him and carry on being friends with him. She hadn't replied to him, though. She was still angry with him, and she wasn't in the mood to forgive him – not just yet, anyway. She knew that she had said to Marlene and Mary that she would forgive him eventually, but she wasn't ready to do so at that point. He really needed to think things over if he wanted her to be friends with him.

But why was Liz sending her a letter from Severus?

She decided to find out. Without further ado, she opened the envelope containing Liz's letter, recognized her friend's neat, rounded handwriting, and read:

 _Dear Lily,_

 _Thanks for the white chocolate – it really made my day! I think I may start liking Muggle sweets after all – though don't tell James or Black or Marlene, they'll just laugh themselves silly._

 _Anyway, I know you're surprised to find a letter from Snape in the envelope. You're also probably wondering why I am sending you a letter from him. Well, he wrote to me – I guess he remembered my address because he did write to you when you were here last summer – and literally begged me to forward his letter to you._

 _He apologised to me, Lil. I'll admit I was surprised to receive a letter from him. Anyway, I think that his apology is heartfelt – I think he really does feel terrible and guilty about what happened. He begged me to convince you to speak to him – he sounded miserable based on the tone of the letter. I did feel bad for him, and I replied to him saying that I'd send his letter to you, but that was it. And in case you're wondering, I haven't – nor do I intend to – apologise to him for giving him a nosebleed. He deserved it, and notwithstanding the fact that I got a detention for it, I still stand by what I did, and I feel that it was the right thing to do. I mean, who apologises for being right?_

 _In any case, read the letter he sent me. You said in your last letter that you hadn't replied to his letters, so I feel you should make your decision based on what he wrote to me. As for remaining friends with him, that's up to you – and I'll support you whatever you decide. If you like him as a person, there's no reason why you shouldn't be friends with him, and I'd advise against ending your friendship with him over what transpired between me and him. However, I feel you should be careful – and warn him as soon as you can about his friends who were at that meeting._

 _Let me know what you decide, OK? And if Petunia still calls you a freak, I have the perfect way to get back at her – but let's keep that as an ace up our sleeves for now._

 _Love,_

 _Liz_

Lily grinned at the last line. That was so typical of Liz, who didn't like the way Petunia treated her, and she made her feelings clear about it by suggesting creative ways to be a nuisance to Lily's older sister. But Lily focused on the important parts in the letter; if Severus had really written to Liz and caused her to forgive him and act as a messenger between the two of them, she needed to see what he'd written to her best friend. She took the other piece of parchment and read:

 _Elizabeth –_

 _I know that you and I haven't always seen eye to eye, so let me begin by apologising to you for trying to attack you that day. It was never my intention to raise my wand against you._

 _As you know, Potter and his cronies have been a thorn in my flesh since the beginning of our first year. They attack me for whatever stupid reasons they have, and I only wanted to pay them back for that. This past month I have had the opportunity to do that unhindered, thanks to Lily tricking them into an agreement that they were bound by, because of their bloated and misplaced sense of honour and righteousness._

 _Look, I understand now what you said to me that day. I have realized what you meant when you said that I hadn't learnt the value of her friendship with me. I know that she was only trying to protect me, but it was too good an opportunity to miss, and I'll admit that I got a little carried away when I tried to make their lives difficult. She kept trying to stop me, but I paid no heed to her words, something which I regret very much._

 _You have helped me out multiple times as well, Elizabeth, although you and I aren't friends. I acted like an ungrateful wart when I tried to curse you that day, and for that, I am truly sorry. I never meant to attack you, I was merely angry that you were getting in the way of me trying to treat Potter and the others the way they deserve to be treated, and I suppose I was blinded by my pent-up anger._

 _Lily was my first friend at Hogwarts. She always listened to me when I spoke about a few problems I had with my father, and she has always been good to me. She saw past the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry, the prejudice other people have against us, and always stuck by me. She always stood up for me in times of need, and now I understand the value of it all. She is a wonderful person, and I have realized the value of her friendship with me. She means a lot to me, and I don't want one stupid mistake from my side to result in her wanting nothing to do with me._

 _Therefore, I am asking you, or rather, I am begging you to do me a favour. She isn't replying to my letters, and I would like you to speak to her to please, please forgive me. I will never lift a wand against you ever again, and I hope that you will forgive me too. I have reason to be thankful to you, too, and I don't want to throw away Lily's friendship with me._

 _Will you please speak to her? And will you please give me another chance? I feel terrible, I really do. I swear that such a thing will never happen again._

 _Thank you very much, I appreciate it._

 _Severus Snape_

Lily frowned as she read Severus's letter to Liz. _Wow, he really has a way with words_ , she thought. She could see what Liz meant; Severus's letter was so pleading that it would be difficult _not_ to forgive him. She knew that he meant every single word of what he had written; for starters, it was the first time he'd ever addressed Liz by first name, which was a clear indication of his sincerity. She understood that his regret was genuine.

She sighed; she knew that she would be taking a big chance if she forgave him and resumed speaking to him, but wasn't that what friends did? _They forgive each other_ , she thought. Lily believed in second chances, and it really seemed like Severus deserved one.

 _Oh, well – I suppose I could forgive him_ , she thought. _I only hope I don't regret it._

She sat down at her table and opened a fresh roll of parchment. She had a couple of letters to write…

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Lily awoke early on Christmas Day. She was in a good mood; Christmas was one of her favourite times of the year. She always loved giving presents to people, and receiving more in return. _It truly is the season of joy_ , she thought happily as she surveyed the small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Excited, she began to open them one by one.

She had received a woollen jumper from Liz, Mary and Marlene. She pulled it over herself immediately; it fit her very snugly. It was orange too, her favourite colour; though for the life of her she couldn't understand why she liked orange so much, especially because anything orange she wore always clashed with her dark red hair.

She opened another parcel to unwrap a book titled, 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'. There was a note enclosed along with it, too, which read:

 _Evans –_

 _Happy Christmas! Hope you like this book – it'll give you a reasonably good background about the kind of bedtime stories told to young witches and wizards. Have fun reading it!_

 _The Marauders_

She smiled as she read the note. It was certainly thoughtful of the Marauders to gift her a book – something she really would enjoy, by the looks of it. She reflected upon the Christmas presents they had all sent each other: a brooch with 'MM' inscribed on it for Marlene, a pair of water-proof Dragon hide gloves for Mary (who was excellent at Herbology), a Muggle Swiss army knife for Black, a new jacket for Remus, a box of sweets with different cheese types from all over Europe for Peter (Marlene had found it in Diagon Alley), a set of quills from feathers of New Guinea birds of paradise for Liz, and a small, palm-sized model of the soon-to-be released Nimbus One Thousand Two Hundred for Potter.

She had also received a new silk scarf from her parents; it was soft and extremely exquisite. "Wow!" she said with wonder; she had always wanted such a scarf. She only hoped that her parents would like what she had bought them; a patterned tie for her Dad, and a witch's hat for her Mum.

"Morning!" she said brightly as she arrived downstairs for breakfast. "Happy Christmas, darling!" her mother said, just as perkily. "Breakfast is ready to be served… So take your place! Your sister is still fast asleep, so we're going to let her sleep in… And there's an owl waiting for you, I saw a newspaper attached to its leg. It refuses to let me take that, though, so you might have to do the honours."

"I say, Princess – I'm glad you're reading the paper. It is good that you want to know what's happening in the rest of the world – even if it is your world." She smiled at her father as she untied the newspaper from the owl's leg and paid it five Knuts; it looked at her beadily before taking off. She opened the window to let it out, before closing it very quickly; it was extremely cold outside.

"Let's see what's new today," she said, and opened the _Daily Prophet_. She saw the headline and her breath caught in her chest. _Oh no_ , she thought, as she read 'Christmas Eve Tragedy'. She quickly began to read the report:

 _ **Bristol, Dec 24**_ _: In a terrible tragedy last night, the village of Tickenham, about eleven miles west of Bristol, was attacked by at least ten unidentified people. The masked attackers set fire to a large number of houses and shops in the village, which is one of the oldest places in the country where Wizards and Muggles have resided in peaceful coexistence._

 _About twenty casualties were reported, and fifty-three people were injured. Wizards and witches who reside at the village immediately stepped up to defend themselves and other Muggles against the attackers. The attack left the local church and town square in ruins, while two local Muggle schools burnt down to the ground. The West Zone Muggle Liaison office, located at Tickenham, which handles Wizard-Muggle relations in western England and Wales, was also completely destroyed in the dastardly attack. A strange symbol (pictured below) appeared above the ruins of this building; it seems to have been cast by the attackers._

 _Tickenham_ , she thought. Why did the name sound familiar? She glanced over to the picture; she could make out a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. Just looking at it made bile rise to her throat; she quickly resumed reading the bulletin.

 _Aurors and Hit Wizards arrived about fifteen minutes after the attack took place, causing most of the attackers to immediately Disapparate; one of the attackers was killed in the ensuing duels. After taking an account of the attack from the Muggle residents of Tickenham, Obliviators proceeded to modify their memories, making them forget this undoubtedly traumatic experience._

 _Following the rescue work, the Ministry of Magic released a statement urging caution. "It is clear that the appearance of the skull at Tickenham indicates that this attack was related to the recent spate of minor attacks on Muggles and Muggleborn witches and wizards all over the country," said Minister of Magic Harold Minchum when he addressed reporters at his office in London. "It looks like the wizard who calls himself Lord – er, You-Know-Who – is the one behind this attack, too. The Ministry of Magic will not bow down to any pressure from someone who has an anti-Muggle and anti-Muggleborn agenda. We would like to urge the magical community to remain alert, and report any kind of strange occurrence to the Ministry. We will also take steps to protect all members of the magical community." The Minister refused to comment on the appearance of the skull, dismissing it as a sick sort of plea for attention._

 _The Prophet also received a statement from the Head of the Auror Office, Edward Bradley. "The Auror Office is committed to keeping order within the magical community. Rest assured that steps are being taken to ensure safety and security of wizards and witches all over the country." Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Carol Whitewater, was unavailable for comment._

Lily set the paper down, feeling sick to her stomach. An attack… Just like Malfoy had said, a statement of power… Twenty people dead… She suddenly felt afraid. _What if they attack Cokeworth next? What will happen to Mum and Dad – they can't even defend themselves!_ Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She couldn't go to pieces like this…

A small _pop_ broke her train of thought, and she looked at the fireplace; with a shock, she realized that Mrs Huntington's head was sitting in the fire. "Mrs Huntington – how –?" she spluttered, utterly astonished, but her best friend's mother cut across her. "Lily, sweetie, can you call your parents?" she said, her tone so serious that Lily hastened to obey at once. "Mum! Dad!" she shouted, and her parents quickly entered the living room. "What is –?" her father started to say, but he stopped mid-sentence, his mouth wide open as he stared at Mrs Huntington's disembodied head which was floating in the fire. Her mother turned around, too, and an identical expression of shock came over her face.

"Larry – Dahlia – may I come over for a few minutes?" Mrs Huntington asked, apparently oblivious to the gobsmacked expressions on Lily's parents' faces. They nodded dumbly, and Mrs Huntington's head vanished with another _pop_. A couple of seconds later, Mrs Huntington herself came spinning into view.

"Hello," she said, "I'm sorry to burst in like this, but have you heard –?"

Her parents merely looked confused, and Mrs Huntington looked at her instead. "Oh, you seem to have read the news, Lily, dear. Well –" she turned back to Lily's parents, "—I'm afraid that this'll be a bit of a shock. It would be better if you all sat down."

Mrs Huntington briefly narrated the events in Tickenham, and concluded by saying that the Wizarding community was now on high alert; never before had there been an attack so brazen, so destructive, so well-executed. She didn't ask Lily why she hadn't told her parents about the war. Her parents had just begun to ask Mrs Huntington all sorts of worried questions when another figure stepped out of the fireplace, stumbling a little. It was Liz.

"What are you doing here?" Mrs Huntington asked her daughter, who said, "Did you tell her, Mum?" Lily noted that Liz seemed excited, and not in a good way. "I was just going to –" Mrs Huntington began, but Liz cut across her mother. "D'you remember who lives in Tickenham, Lil?" she said urgently, and with a horrible blast of realization, Lily understood why the village name sounded so familiar. "Mary!" she said, dismayed.

Liz nodded, her eyes full of tears. "Yes, that's right. Mary's family was among those who got attacked. We don't know whether they're alive, or…"

A small, distressed cry escaped her. It didn't look like Christmas was going to be the season of joy that year.

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 **Author's note** : I have updated chapter four where Mary says that she's from Tickenham.


	17. Chapter 16

Hello everyone, here is chapter fifteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Sixteen**

" **Some things never change!"**

"Mary!"

Lily happily hugged her friend, and whispered in her ear, "Oh – thank God you're OK!" Mary returned the hug, holding on to her tightly. Liz and Marlene followed suit, and the four girls stayed in a large group hug before breaking apart. Marlene sat down next to her best friend and put a comforting arm around her.

After Liz and her mother had provided them with the shocking news about Mary's family on Christmas Day, Lily had spent the next three days in a state of worry. She had no idea how Mary was doing, whether or not she was alive… No clue at all. Then finally, she received a letter from Liz that Mary and her family were safe, and her parents were currently recuperating in St Mungo's. She'd felt giddy with relief on hearing about her friend's safety. She had no way to contact Mary, though, so she had to rely on reports from Liz, who would hear everything from her parents.

The rest of the holiday had been subdued. Petunia still refused to acknowledge her presence, and she was starting to get tired of her elder sister's behaviour. Petunia kept making snide comments about her magical background, which she mostly ignored, until one day, Petunia had insulted Liz. That hadn't gone down well with Lily, who had slapped her sister in a fit of anger. Petunia had retaliated in kind, and the two girls had had a wrestling match that would've shocked even the most stoic of individuals, such as Professor McGonagall. Their parents had separated them, and the two of them had been punished by being reduced to only bread and butter for lunch and dinner until the end of the vacation. Their mother had furiously refused to cook anything delicious for them until they apologised to each other, but neither Lily nor Petunia had felt inclined to do so, preferring instead to live on bread and butter for the next few days. It looked like obstinacy was a trait both girls had received from their mother, who remained true to her word.

Her parents had come to drop her off at King's cross, and during the entire journey, they had lectured her on how to behave herself and keep her temper. They told her that they had raised her better than that, and chastised her for letting her sister provoke her. They warned her against violence, how it never solved anything, and how it should never be partaken. They did tell her that they would have a word with Petunia once they dropped her off, though… That cheered her up ever so slightly…

Nevertheless, she was quite glad to return to school, where she'd be forced to focus on her studies and not brood over the state of the magical world. She was also looking forward to meeting Severus. Once she'd sent him a letter, forgiving him, they had begun to speak as if nothing had gone wrong with their friendship. She hadn't shared much about the attack with him; she'd simply told him that she had something important to discuss with him once she got back. She quickly turned her attention back to Mary as the Hogwarts Express gained speed; she badly wanted to know what had happened but she didn't want Mary to be uncomfortable speaking about it.

"So, what happened?" Liz burst out immediately. Lily glared at her, and Liz frowned at her and shrugged. _Really, Liz could have been a bit more tactful! Mary is probably still feeling the effects of that horrible attack!_ "Look, you can speak about it only if you're ready, Mary," she said soothingly, "Don't say anything if you don't want to."

Mary straightened up, her amber eyes bright. "Thanks, Lily, but I'm fine… In fact, those Mind Healers at St Mungo's think that I'll recover faster if I speak about it, so why not? Marlene knows the entire story… It's time you know too."

Lily nodded gravely, and Mary continued to talk.

"It was awful," she began. "You see, my Mum works at the West Zone Muggle Office. They're mainly concerned with Wizard-Muggle relations. It's their job to contain and prevent any breaches of the Statue of Secrecy. And my Dad works at the Ministry… He works in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. He's Andromeda's mentor," she said, and Lily nodded briefly.

"Well – it was Christmas Eve, and almost dinnertime. Mum was making preparations – and Nancy – that's my nine-year-old sister –" she added, catching Lily's eye, "—and I were helping her. Then Dad arrived, and we were all going to sit down, when it suddenly went dark. I mean, it _was_ dark to begin with, but it went really, really dark. The lights in the village all went out, and we couldn't see a thing. And then – then, out of the blue, a house in the centre of the village caught fire. Mum and Dad decided that they were going to investigate, and went out to see what was going on."

Lily and the others sat, transfixed, listening to their friend's narrative. Lily felt apprehensive and thrilled at the same time.

"Within a few minutes, Mum came back. She was bleeding from her arms and side – it was terrible," Mary choked out, her amber eyes full of tears, and Marlene squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "But Mum told me and Nan to remain strong, that she was taking us to someplace safe… Then she grabbed both of us, and Apparated – we all appeared directly to my uncle's place in Nottingham – my uncle is my Dad's elder brother – and then – we just stepped over the threshold, and Mum managed to say that we were attacked before – before she fainted." Mary was sobbing freely now. Marlene squeezed her shoulder and talked to her softly, while Lily and Liz listened silently, their expressions those of deepest sympathy.

"Anyway," said Mary, once she had regained a bit of self-control, "My uncle immediately went to assist my Dad, while my aunt quickly began to tend to my mother – she healed her so that Mum was strong enough to Apparate again – then she told my cousin Becca – she was in Andromeda's year, she too has started to work in the Ministry – to look after me and Nan, while she took my Mum to St Mungo's."

"Then what happened?" Liz asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It was late when my aunt returned. She said that my uncle had found Dad, bleeding from his face, near the church in Tickenham. He had Apparated Dad directly to St Mungo's. She also said that my uncle was there with my parents now, and a preliminary examination had told the Healers that they were going to make a full recovery."

Lily and Liz heaved simultaneous sighs of relief on hearing that.

"Well, I stayed with my aunt at Nottingham for the remainder of the holidays. Mum and Dad are still in St Mungo's, but they will be discharged later this week. Uncle Alfred even went to our house in Tickenham to retrieve my Hogwarts stuff – he said that the house hadn't sustained too much damage, that it could be fixed, and that everything inside was intact…"

"Did anyone you know die, Mary?" Liz asked, her voice gentle. Mary considered.

"N – no," she said finally, "All the wizard children were Apparated out by their parents, while other adults battled the attackers. The casualties were mostly – Muggles," she said sorrowfully. "No one knows why the attack happened – according to the papers and what uncle Alfred told me, it was You-Know-Who who was behind it…"

She shuddered. "Nan isn't handling it so well… She has nightmares from time to time…"

Lily heaved a great sigh and contemplated upon what had happened. Mary's parents were going to be fine; that was a relief. They had heroically saved their daughters… A nagging thought struck her. What if Cokeworth was attacked? Who was going to defend it? There were no wizards or witches in Cokeworth, except for Severus's Mum, and she was the only one. So who would Apparate her to safety? And worse still, what about her parents and sister? They were Muggles… Would they even be able to Apparate?

As if reading her mind, Liz said to her, "Hey, don't you worry, Lily… Your parents will be safe."

"How?" she said fretfully.

"Well – Mum was telling me and Dad the other day – apparently a new law is being made, which allows Ministry officials to place protection over each and every wizard dwelling in the country. It'll be passed soon – this way, every witch and wizard will be safe, as will their families…"

Relieved, she said, "I hope they pass it quickly."

Liz nodded back at her. They spent the rest of their journey talking about their homework, Quidditch, and teasing Marlene over Jack Nicholas, a third-year Ravenclaw on whom she supposedly had a crush. Lily noted her friend's red cheeks, and noted to herself that the crush was very real, very real indeed… _When I get my first crush, I'm certainly not going to tell anyone, especially Liz… She may be my best friend but she is merciless with her teasing!_

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Later that evening, after dinner, Professor Dumbledore stood up to address the school.

"My dear students, there are a few things that I need to discuss with you. I am, of course, referring to the terrible attack on the quaint little village of Tickenham, on Christmas Eve."

Beside Lily, Mary stiffened. She looked back at Dumbledore, eagerly hanging on to his every word.

"It resulted in great loss of life. It is my belief that the Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort, is behind this heinous act. I urge you all to be cautious, and not give in to Lord Voldemort's acts of terror. We must fight his hatred with friendship, and remain united in our cause, until one day we will finally be able to defeat him.

"On this very note, I believe it is high time that all of us learnt how to duel. Therefore, I have spent most of the Christmas holidays with Professor Whiteman, your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, revamping the entire curriculum. Starting from second year onwards, every student will receive practical training as part of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, with special emphasis on learning how to duel. I believe this skillset will be invaluable once you enter the real world, which is currently at war. You will be able to protect yourself and your loved ones, which will support the Ministry and give everyone a morale boost. Remember – if you learn to defend yourself properly against the dangers out there, there is an excellent chance that we will win this war. Now, I know that you're all feeling sleepy, and that your beds are waiting… So, chop chop!"

There was a sudden increase in the noise in the Great Hall as Dumbledore dismissed the school. Lily looked at Liz and said, "Duelling? What's that?"

"It's like a fight between two wizards or witches. Wands only – no contact," Liz replied. "Dad goes on about how he was once a champion dueller." She rolled her eyes.

"Right," said Lily, as they began to follow the rest of the Gryffindors back to the common room. She was looking forward to her next DADA class; duelling had certainly piqued her interest, and she was sure that it would be useful when the time came for her to defend herself and others. _This way, I can help Mum and Dad_ , she thought firmly. _And Tuney too…_

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"So, as Professor Dumbledore told you after dinner the day before the first day of the winter term, I have, with his help, revamped the entire curriculum of the Defence Against the Dark Arts course. I will be starting with Wizarding duels, and by the end of this year, you will all be able to perform basic spells that will be useful during duels."

It was their first DADA class of the new year, and Lily hung on to Professor Whiteman's every word. She was excited; she couldn't wait to get started. Beside her, Liz listened too, her expression one of rapt attention. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had this class together, and everyone looked excited because it looked like that they would be having a practical DADA class for the first time ever.

"Now, boys and girls, please take your wands and come to the front of the class," said Professor Whiteman briskly, and there was a sudden movement as the twenty-odd students got up from their chairs and did as they were asked. With one wave of his wand, Professor Whiteman sent all desks and chairs next to the walls, leaving a large amount of space in the middle of the class. He walked to the centre and faced them all again.

"Now, class – today, we will begin with the Disarming Charm. Now, I know that this is technically a Charm, but because of its usefulness in a duel, I shall be teaching it to you all. Repeat after me – the incantation is ' _Expelliarmus!'_ "

" _Expelliarmus!_ " the class repeated in unison.

"Very good," said Professor Whiteman, smiling at them, "And the reason why this will be the first spell you all would be learning is that this spell – it has no complex wand movements. The only thing you have to do is concentrate, and point your wand straight at your opponents." Everyone nodded, and he continued, "Now, who would like to volunteer? How about you, Miss Crawford?"

A curly-haired girl stepped forward nervously, and Lily recognized Mandy Crawford. "Now, Miss Crawford – don't be afraid, this spell will only Disarm you. That is, your wand – or for that matter, anything you hold – will be thrown out of your hands." Mandy nodded once, still clearly nervous.

"Now, stand here," instructed Professor Whiteman, "And don't worry – you'll be just fine. Face me – that's right – and now – _Expelliarmus!_ "

Lily watched in wonder as Mandy's wand went spinning out of her hand and landed in the other end of the classroom. A second later, Professor Whiteman had retrived it, and he handed it back to its owner before saying, "There, class – that is what this Charm does. Now – I shall be calling out two of you at random, and these students will attempt to disarm one another. This will go on until one of you succeeds; the other student will go back and wait for me to call them again. The objective of this class is to have everyone successfully Disarm someone else at least once. Is that clear?"

The class nodded in unison; everyone looked excited and held their wands at the ready, wondering who the professor would call first.

"Right," said he, "First up, how about – Mr Adair, and, er – Miss Carter."

Jane stepped forward, and Jacob Adair faced her. "On three, then," said Professor Whiteman, "One – two – three!"

Jane and Jacob both cried, " _Expelliarmus!_ " Jane was about a fraction of a second quicker than Jacob, and his wand gave a kind of twitch, but didn't leave his hand, while hers remained firm. "Not bad for a first attempt, Miss Carter – just a little more concentration, please. Mr Adair – you need to be quicker. On three, then – one – two – three!"

Jane was able to Disarm Jacob on her second try, which earned her a look of approval from Professor Whiteman, who promptly awarded five points to Gryffindor. She stood at the other end of the classroom, looking rather pleased with herself, while Jacob went back to where the rest of the students sat, blushing slightly.

"Next – Miss Evans –" she rose as her name was called, "—and, er, Mr Black."

 _Just my luck_ , she thought huffily as Sirius Black stood up and faced her, his usual arrogant smile very much in place. "Scared, Evans?" he whispered. "Not a chance," she said, a little proudly. "On three, then," said Professor Whiteman again, "One – two – three!"

" _Expelliarmus!_ " she shouted. To her intense discomfort, however, she felt her own wand leave her hand and fall somewhere behind her. "Ha! You should be scared," Black exclaimed arrogantly, and went over to stand next to Jane, almost disregarding Professor Whiteman's shout of approval, and him awarding ten points to Gryffindor. She saw Potter sitting next to Remus, snickering at her. Seething, she retrieved her wand and returned to her place. "It was only your first try, so don't sweat it," said Liz sympathetically, and she simply nodded and sat down silently. She wasn't pleased that Sirius Black had outdone her so on his first try. But then again, he was better than most of the class at Defence Against the Dark Arts…

Professor Whiteman kept calling her classmates, and she watched from the sidelines as Remus, Liz and Potter Disarmed their partners on their first try as well. Mary was Disarmed by Allan Lewis, while Karen Norton successfully got the better of Peter. Marlene too Disarmed Gavin Johnson, which left about ten people who were yet to get it right.

"All right, so let's go again," said Professor Whiteman, "Miss Evans – and Mr Willoughby." She walked forward and faced her opponent, who was tall and thin. They raised their wands, and Professor Whiteman said, "On the count of three, then… One – two – three!"

" _Expelliarmus!_ " she shouted, hoping that she got it right this time at least. To her relief, she saw Willoughby wand leave his hand, while her own wand simply gave a tiny jerk, but didn't move. "Well done, Miss Evans – Five points to Gryffindor! Mr Willoughby – back to your place." Willoughby obeyed, his shoulders drooping, and sat next to Peter, whose face wore a similar morose look.

"Nicely done," said Liz as Lily joined her. She rolled her eyes. "I didn't get it right the first time." Liz snorted. "So what? We'll practise this spell – and I know you'll get better, because all it takes is practice!"

Encouraged, she nodded, and waited until everyone had been able to cast it successfully at least once. When the last person – Peter – had managed to Disarm his opponent, Professor Whiteman dismissed the class, praising them for their good performance, and asking them to write a brief description of the spell. He also told them that they would be practising the Disarming Charm in the succeeding lessons, before moving on to other spells.

"That was quite a good lesson!" exclaimed Marlene as they made their way to the common room. "The way your wand goes out of your hand – poof – just like that!" Lily grinned. "Yep, I think that's a pretty useful spell," she said, "Though I wish I'd got it on my first try!" She shook her head, a little despairingly, and Marlene patted her reassuringly. "Loads of people didn't, Lil," said the dark-haired girl, "And besides, you got it the second time!" Lily cheered up a little at that.

Just then, the Marauders came up behind her. "Hey, Evans – what's this we hear? Hunt tells us that you are friends with Snivellus again," Black said, frowning. "I don't remember it being any of your business as to who I'm friends with, Black," she returned testily; she was still irritated with how easily he'd Disarmed her earlier. She shot an accusatory look at Liz, who met her gaze – rather defiantly, she thought.

"Well, all the same, I seem to recall you rescinding a certain deal you made with us," said Potter cockily, "So, if you are friends with that slimy git again, you might want to warn him that he's about to get badly pranked, sometime in the not-so-very-distant future." He grinned evilly, and the other Marauders laughed before walking past them, chattering excitedly.

"Wow, they're brazen, I'll give them that," said Marlene, "I mean, they have the nerve to say they're up to no good, _before_ they actually do anything!"

Lily looked a little worried. "I hope they aren't too nasty to him," she said, and her friends looked at her in surprise. She blushed a little. "What?" she asked defensively. "He was a git to them, so it's only fair they're gits to him. And I'm not going to stop them – for once. It's the only way to balance things out."

"Wow – you've got all these crazy ideas about balance, Lily," said Liz, rolling her eyes. "Balance – and fairness – everyone has different ideas about what's fair and what's not –"

"Yeah, and why did you have to tell them that Snape and I are talking again?" she asked Liz, quickly cutting across her. Liz shrugged. "It wasn't a secret, was it? I mean, as far as I can see, you and Snape were friends who had a bit of a quarrel – and you've made up."

"Hmm – that's fair," said Lily thoughtfully.

"I can't _wait_ to see what the Marauders will do to him now," said Mary gleefully, her amber eyes dancing with amusement. She quailed a little under Lily's glare. "Look, I know he's your friend and all, Lily," she said quickly, "But he was a git to James and the others, so it's like you said – we need balance."

Lily sighed. It looked like Severus was going to pay, and there was nothing she would be able to do about it. In any case, she had as good as given the Marauders her blessing to do what they wanted to, hadn't she? She decided to warn him, though. She only hoped that the Marauders wouldn't be too nasty…

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The rest of January passed by very quickly. Before Lily knew it, February had arrived, bringing with it a renewed assault of sleet and snow, forcing everyone to spend most of their time indoors in the warmth of the fire.

She sat in the library with Severus one Saturday afternoon, supposedly trying to finish her potions homework, but in reality just brooding. She had relayed what Liz had told her to Severus as soon as she'd got the chance. However, he had played down her suspicions, saying that whoever had told her about such a meeting (as decided earlier, she hadn't mentioned that it had been Liz who had seen the meeting) had been mistaken, and that second- and third-years being recruited by You-Know-Who would be preposterous.

She had been rather disappointed with this kind of a response from him. He had refused to accept, point-blank, that his friends had had any prior knowledge of the attack that had taken place on Tickenham. For that matter, he didn't even know if his friends had been to that meeting. However, as a silver lining, he had offered to find out what was going on, and he'd said that he would tell her what he found out. She had been a bit uneasy, but she couldn't really stop him from doing whatever he wanted; besides, she too was curious as to what was happening, so she didn't put up much of an argument against his course of action. _I'd thought he'd be shocked… Why does he keep defending his friends and insisting that they weren't even in that meeting?_

They were sitting silently and working when a small first-year girl appeared at their table. Lily recognized her as being in Gryffindor, and the girl smiled at her shyly before turning to Severus and saying, "Excuse me – are you Severus Snape?"

Severus looked up, clearly not pleased at being disturbed. "What? And who are you?" he asked the girl, who instinctively took a step backward, cowering slightly under his unfriendly gaze. "I have a note for you – from P-Professor McGonagall," she said, stammering slightly, and handed him a small piece of paper. He took it, and narrowed his eyes at the girl. "What are you still waiting for? Do you want a Chocolate Frog as payment?"

The girl recoiled even further, and said, "No – nothing –" but Lily patted her shoulder and said to Severus, "Come on, Sev – be nice, OK? Stop being rude for no reason." He shrugged; he was more focused on the note. "Run along, now – and thanks!" she said kindly to the girl, who smiled, blushed slightly, and scurried away.

"Do you _have_ to snap at every Gryffindor?" she asked Severus, irritated, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes were wide with surprise. "That's odd," he said finally. Distracted, she asked, "What's odd?"

"This note," he replied, "It says that I need to meet Professor McGonagall immediately to discuss my Transfiguration work. It says here that my last three pieces of homework – ever since this term began – weren't up to the mark, and she wants to discuss with me as to what the issue is. She wants me to meet her right now, in the Transfiguration classroom."

Nonplussed, she asked, "But I did one of those with you – the one with the Badgering spell, remember?" He nodded, and said, "Yes – and I was even able to turn my teacup into a badger – as far as I can recall, only Wilkes wasn't able to do it. I think she's got me confused with Wilkes. Yes, that must be it," he said decisively.

"So, are you going to her now to clear it up?" she asked him. He considered.

"Well – I suppose I must, mustn't I? I mean, if there's confusion, I need to clear it up, or else McGonagall will think I'm the one with sub-standard Transfiguration work – and we can't have that now, can we?"

"No – no, we can't," she agreed. "Let's go – I'll come with you," she said, and began to pack up her homework. He gave her a small smile, and said, "Thanks." Together, they left the library, and made their way to the Transfiguration classroom.

The door was slightly ajar, and he said to her, "Wait here, I'll only be a minute." She nodded and stood back, as he pushed the door open.

SPLAT! Before her very eyes, a bucket of water landed neatly on his head, covering his entire body with dirty water. She jumped back, and was successful in not getting anything on her shoes or robes. She glimpsed him removing the bucket from his head, and he turned to face her, his hair and robes sopping wet, and his face livid.

"Shite!" he yelled, "Those bloody buggers!" He threw down the bucket in a temper.

"Hey, calm down," she said soothingly, even as she tried to fight back a smile, "It's just water."

"I don't care – stupid – morons –"

"Come here," she said, " _Siccus!_ "

The Drying Charm, which Professor Flitwick had taught them only in their last Charms class, worked perfectly; Severus stood before her, completely dry but still just as livid.

"I'm going to get them," he said, his eyes narrowed. "You don't even know it was the Marauders!" she said, as they started to walk back towards the library. He snorted. "Please, who else could it have been? There was no one in the classroom – they just lured me here so that I'd get hit by that stupid bucket –"

"It was pretty childish," she agreed. "But it's beneath the Marauders to do something like that," she added thoughtfully.

He looked at her incredulously. "What, you are friends with them now? Potter and Black and their pathetic followers?"

"Hey – easy there," she said defensively, "We talked about this, Sev. You don't go after them now – there's no point –"

They turned the corner as she spoke, and stopped dead. Right in front of them stood the Marauders; all of them, most surprisingly, carrying a cat each. Confused, she looked around; first at Severus, who had gone rigid, his expression one of fury; then at the Marauders, who looked excited, and finally at the cats, who were squirming against the boys holding them.

"There he is!" Potter shouted, "CHARGE!"

At once, they all let go of the cats they held, and the animals immediately made a beeline towards Severus. Before he could pull out his wand or react in any sort of way, the cats were on top of him, scratching and biting him. He yelled in panic, and she tried to pull one of the cats off him, but it had buried its nails in his robes, which tore as she pulled it away from him. In front of them, she saw the Marauders bent over, laughing helplessly, clutching each other's shoulders for support.

"Help him!" she yelled frantically, but they only shook their heads, and Potter said, "Sorry, Evans – he is your problem now!" So saying, they turned around and ran off, still laughing loudly.

"Severus –" she said, panicking now; the cats didn't seem to want to let up, and he was now covering his face to avoid their razor-sharp claws – "Wait here – I'm going to get help!" He only yelled, "Get off! Get off me, you stupid animals!" in response, and she hurried away to find a teacher.

Why were the cats attacking him like that? She supposed that there had been something in the dirty water, and the Marauders had lain in wait for him to appear, before setting the cats on him. They had been brazen, too – it was clear that they didn't care about mundane things such as detention…

The staff room was just ahead. "Password?" asked the stone gargoyle at its entrance, just as she reached it. "Professor McGonagall!" she panted without thinking, and to her great surprise, the door burst open. Apparently, the gargoyles let someone in if they took the name of the teacher they wanted to see.

"Miss Evans!" said Professor McGonagall, as Lily ran up to her, still panting. "Whatever is the matter, girl?"

"Professor!" she exclaimed, "Professor – Severus Snape – attacked by cats – they just went mad – I couldn't get any of them off him –" she blabbered incoherently within gasps. Luckily, Professor McGonagall asked nothing more, but simply stood up, and said, "Lead the way!"

She retraced her steps to the corridor near the Transfiguration classroom, still panting slightly, walking as fast as she could. She followed the sound of panicked yells until she came upon her friend, who was still being attacked by cats with great gusto. Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and the cats flew off Severus, as if scalded. They slunk away on seeing her, their eyes still on Severus.

"Snape – are you all right, boy?" asked Professor McGonagall, helping Severus back to his feet. He stood unsteadily, his arms covered with scratches, his robes torn, his hair tousled, and his face bleeding slightly. He too was panting, and looked thoroughly relieved as he looked at her and Professor McGonagall.

"Hospital wing, Snape," Professor McGonagall said promptly. "And you, Miss Evans – would you mind telling me what happened?"

In between Severus's groans of pain, she briefly described what had happened; the note, the bucket full of dirty water, and the cats set upon him by the Marauders. Professor McGonagall sighed. "Would you mind telling Misters Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew that they are to meet me in the Transfiguration classroom – in no less than half an hour?" she said to Lily, who noted her flaring nostrils. She gulped and said, "Yes, Professor." Giving one last sympathetic look to Severus, she turned around and began to walk back to the common room.

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"So what is she making you do?" asked Liz, finally surfacing after laughing hard for the last ten minutes. The Marauders had returned, and announced to Lily, Liz, Mary and Marlene that they would be serving a week's worth of detention. Potter made a face. "She wants us to help Filch, cleaning up various parts of the castle – without magic!"

"Serves you right!" Lily said severely, "What did you have to do that for, eh?"

"Retribution," said Potter proudly, "And come on, Evans – you said it yourself that he deserved to be pranked after what he did before Christmas! Besides, I'm sure _you_ enjoyed it too!" He grinned at her.

She paused, half-annoyed, half-amused. "How did you do it?" she asked instead, "What was in the water?"

"Very clever, Evans," Black said appreciatively, "You see, that water contained a concoction – that can only be called as some kind of – rodent-smell potion." He began to laugh once again.

"Drying aggravates it," Remus supplied, his eyes glinting with mischief, "The faster you dry yourself after being soaked, the stronger is the odour..."

"And cats go utterly mad when they smell it," Peter said, "They just attack blindly, not caring about their prey…" He shuddered slightly.

"So all we had to do was set up the bucket, and lure Snivellus there under false pretenses," Potter said, grinning wickedly, "And then, when he's soaked, we just set the cats on them and let them do the rest!" He laughed loudly.

"Our only worry was that you'd be covered in the water too," said Remus apologetically, "But since Snape would get most of the water on him, the cats would be too focused on him, and no one else…"

"Yeah, that part wasn't foolproof, but we got lucky – so it all worked out well, didn't it?" said Black.

"Yeah – it certainly did!" said Potter, and everyone laughed again.

"Where did you get that stuff?" asked Marlene, wiping tears from her eyes as she spoke. Potter put his index finger on his lips and said, "Sssshhhh, McKinnon – Marauder's secret!" Marlene snorted but asked no further questions.

"It was a little nasty, though," said Lily worriedly, "I mean, you could've done him a serious injury to his eyes, or something…"

"Well, Evans – we did say that it wouldn't be pretty, now, did we?" countered Potter. "We even told you to warn him –"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," she said, "I'm not going to chastise you, Potter; as if you'd listen." He grinned widely at that.

"You found it funny, too, didn't you, Lil?" said Marlene, her blue eyes dancing wickedly.

There was no point denying it. An unwilling smile spread across her face, and in spite of herself, she shook her head and laughed. "OK, OK, fine!" she shouted over the gales of laughter from her friends, "Yes, one might say it was a little funny –"

"No use covering up, Evans – you liked it and you know it!" Black shouted happily, and the Marauders laughed even harder; Peter was actually rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach. His plump form made him look like a football.

Finally, after about five minutes, the laughter subsided. "Well – see you later," said Potter, "We're going to plan our next prank!" With an energetic wave to them all, the Marauders walked away, presumably to their dormitory. She turned to Liz, who said, "Fat lot of good came out of your interfering… Nothing changed, did it?"

She considered. It was true, things were as they'd been before she'd made that fateful deal with Potter. "Well, you know how the old saying goes," she said sagely to her best friend, sighing, "Some things never change!"

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	18. Chapter 17

Thanks for the review, amritap. You rock!

Everyone, here is chapter seventeen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **A new Teammate**

"So do you think I should take Care of Magical Creatures?" Lily asked Liz as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch for the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match, the fourth of the season. It was the first Saturday of March, and spring was beginning to set in, though the weather was still rather cold. Liz sighed.

"For the last time, Lil – I don't know!" she said, "It's completely up to you – you're the one who has to study the new subjects, so you must choose what you wish to study!"

"But I don't know anything about these subjects!" Lily exclaimed tensely. "The list came out yesterday – and they're giving us only the weekend to decide!"

"I think that's sufficient time," said a voice from behind them, and Lily turned around to see a girl she didn't know standing behind her. She was tall, with thick black hair and brown eyes. She didn't look that much older than Lily, though; she was probably a third- or a fourth-year.

"Is it, now?" Lily asked the girl, a little challengingly. The girl smiled as they stepped out of the Entrance Hall and into the grounds. "Yep," she said, rather smugly.

Liz, apparently, didn't like her tone. "Who're you?" she asked, a little rudely. The girl's smile grew wider. "Dorcas Meadowes," she said, "And you are…?"

"Liz Huntington, and this is Lily Evans," Liz said promptly, "So why don't you tell us how we're expected to choose our subjects in a space of two days –"

"Yes, exactly," interrupted Lily, "I mean, I don't even know what these are – and shouldn't thorough research need to be carried out on each of these? Two days isn't really sufficient time!"

Dorcas rolled her eyes. "Well – how about I give you a quick summary of each subject?" They said nothing, and the other girl continued, "If you like numbers, Arithmancy is a good choice – it's the prediction of the future using numbers and numerology. Then there's Divination – prediction of the future using rituals and tools. Ancient Runes – it's the study of runic scriptures of magic, and it's mostly theoretical. Care of Magical Creatures – you'll learn a lot about magical creatures in this subject – you know, like fire crabs and salamanders and Hippogriffs – and you'll spend a lot of time outdoors, which leaves – Muggle Studies. That's a subject you should take if you don't know how Muggles manage without magic, but I don't think you'll need that," she added with a slight smile.

There was a pause as they all walked silently towards the stands. Lily mulled over what the older girl had said, and realized that she had just been given an excellent summary of each elective subject. She looked at Liz, who said, "Well – I guess you're right – new subjects _can_ be decided in two days!" Dorcas laughed and said, "That's what I've been telling you… I don't want anyone else wasting time wondering what the subjects are. All you have to do is ask someone and they'll help you."

"Well – you certainly did," said Lily, her tone much more friendly than before. "Thank you!"

Dorcas smiled and said, "Word of advice, though – don't take more than three subjects, because it'll be really tough to handle them all." With that, she nodded at them before setting off to presumably join her friends. Lily and Liz proceeded to their usual place, where the rest of the Gryffindor second-years sat.

"What kept you?" demanded Black as they slid into seats next to him. Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Well – someone was too busy trying to decide what subjects need to be taken next year." Lily flushed slightly and said, "Yeah, well, I don't come from a Wizarding background – so I have no idea about what each of these subjects are –"

But Brandon Smith's booming voice cut her off. "Welcome to the fourth game of the Quidditch season – Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!" he shouted as people scrambled into their seats. "Slytherin beat Ravenclaw last Saturday – so if Hufflepuff win today, the last two games would be the ones that decide who wins this year's Quidditch Cup! On the other hand, if Gryffindor win – they'll be favourites to win the cup – but somehow, I don't see that happening, with their Captain and frontline Chaser out with injury! Yes, that's right, everyone – Frank Longbottom took one blow too many during team practice yesterday – a blow to a rather sensitive region, in fact –" he paused, and a ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, while the Gryffindor supporters let out a collective hiss, "—which means that Jeremy Lawson will stand in as captain today, with fifth-year Amy Blythe in as substitute Chaser!"

"Blythe – hang on – that's the girl who lost to James in the tryouts, right?" asked Marlene. Liz and Black nodded in unison, and Remus said, "That's the one."

"Amy Blythe is the girlfriend of Gryffindor Keeper and stand-in skipper Jeremy Lawson!" announced Smith, "So her inclusion for today's game indicates nepotism, folks – be warned that teams with nepotism never succeed!" The Gryffindor supporters booed at that, but the rest of the crowd seemed to be amused. "Why does he always have to be such a git?" Lily asked Liz, frowning. Liz shrugged and said, "Look on the bright side, he'll leave at the end of this year." They both looked over at the blonde girl, who stood next to her boyfriend, her face calm and set. "It's her first game," said Marlene from next to Liz, "I really hope she won't, you know, give in to nerves or something." She laughed nervously.

The game commenced immediately after the customary handshake between the captains, and within fifteen minutes, the score was tied at thirty points each. James had scored twice, and Annie Shaw was controlling the Gryffindor play; however, the Hufflepuff Chasers were keeping track of their Gryffindor counterparts, and weren't letting them use their best moves at all.

"Potter scores!" Smith shouted, and the Gryffindors cheered, "Forty-thirty to Gryffindor! Their new Chaser Blythe hasn't really got an eye in on the Quaffle yet – and to think she was the second best in the tryouts – my, that doesn't really bode well for the lions, now, does it?" The crowd laughed at that last comment, and Liz looked at Lily worriedly. "I hope Amy Blythe concentrates on the game and disregards that git's comments," she said, "Better players than she have been unnerved by what the commentator has said about them." Lily nodded, and next to her, Black muttered something, his teeth gritted.

"And now it's Blythe at last – she's kept possession for a full five seconds – dodges Bevan – dodges Kirwan as well – she's flying solo, in sight of goal – Potter to her left, arguably in a better position to score – she SHOOTS – and it's been saved, good save from Wallace – hard to say if Potter would've scored from his position, but to be fair, he _was_ in a better position – perhaps Blythe is still sore about the tryouts –"

"The nerve of that wanker!" exclaimed Black, and Liz and Lily looked at him, slightly shocked. "Hey, language, mate," said Remus mildly from behind them, but Black wasn't in any mood to listen. "He is such a knob – something needs to be done about him!" he exclaimed. "Hang on – be right back –"

And before anyone could stop him or even say a word, he jumped off his seat and strode purposefully into the aisle and started to make his way to where Smith was commentating. "Wait, Black – stop!" Liz called, but he didn't appear to hear her. She sighed exasperatedly and said, "Idiot – what is he going to do now?"

"I don't know – but it can't be anything good," said Lily. "Come on – he'll be OK – I just hope we don't lose." She turned back to the game fretfully just as Smith yelled, "Seventy-fifty to Gryffindor! Shaw scores!"

"D'you think it's true? Amy isn't passing to James because she's sore at him for beating her in the tryouts?" Mary asked worriedly, and Marlene said, "If she is, she's being really childish… They're on the same team, aren't they?"

"Yes – but sometimes egos get in the way," said Liz knowingly. "I've heard tales from Mum – she had a rival in the team, see? It was a Chaser who wanted to be captain, but Mum was made captain instead. Mum said he never listened to her during practice but came around in the second half of the season when she and the coach gave him a tough talking-to."

"Ninety-fifty to Gryffindor – Blythe scores at last thanks to a pass from Shaw – perhaps she's realized she isn't good enough to score on her own –"

But at that moment, his voice was suddenly cut off. Lily and the others looked at the commentator's box just in time to see the Magical Megaphone sail out of Smith's hands and onto the pitch below. "That was probably Black's doing," said Marlene decisively. "Must've tackled him –"

"Look!" exclaimed Peter suddenly, and Lily realized for the first time that he was there; he'd been sitting silently for so long. They turned to see where he was pointing and realized that Julie Perkins was locked in battle with the rival Seeker; a collective 'ooooh' from the crowd was heard as both Seekers dived from forty feet above the ground. Only a few seconds later, a figure in canary-yellow robes flew skywards, his hand raised in triumph.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, and she pointed to the Hufflepuff end of the pitch. The Hufflepuff supporters in the crowd erupted in cheers, while the Gryffindors stayed silent. Lily looked at Liz morosely; the match was over, and they had lost. Liz just sat there, frowning and shaking her head, as Marlene and Mary stood up, their shoulders sagging. Behind them, the other Gryffindor second-years followed suit.

Lily glanced at the pitch just in time to see Potter land. He looked extremely angry, and she watched from afar as he strode over to Amy Blythe, said something to her furiously, and threw down his broomstick. About half a minute later, he picked it up, swung it over his shoulder, and began to walk back alone towards the changing room, while the rest of the team just stood there in a gloomy huddle.

 _Wow_ , she thought sympathetically… _He isn't taking it too well…_

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"She should've just passed it to me!" Potter burst out for the fifth time at least. They were all sitting on one side of the common room, away from most other people. Liz patted his hand and said, "We know, James – we know."

"Stupid girl – see, that's exactly why she didn't make it to the team – and if she had, it would have been awful – why did she want to play solo? It's a team sport!" ranted Potter. Black looked just as annoyed, but Lily knew the main reason for that; for Disarming Brandon Smith, Professor McGonagall had given him a detention, and he wasn't too happy about it.

"We _know_ , James," Marlene said comfortingly. She was sitting on his other side.

"Sorry, Potter," Lily said, with as much sympathy as she could muster. He was a royal prick, but she still felt bad because of the way they had lost. He smiled at her derisively. "Thanks, Evans – but Blythe should be the one apologising – she was the one who made a cock up of the entire match –"

"OK," said Remus, suddenly standing up, "Who wants some chocolate from the kitchens? Pete? James? Sirius?"

She could see Potter visibly brighten up at that. "Good idea, Remus – let's go, you lot…"

He turned to them all and asked, "You girls coming?"

They looked at one another. She didn't really feel like listening to some more Quidditch ranting, but she supposed that she wouldn't mind going if Liz was going. Luckily, Mary said, "Oh, no – you go on ahead – why don't you bring us some stuff? Like, chocolate cake, for instance?"

"OK. We'll do that," said Potter, and the four boys sauntered off towards the kitchens, with Black still looking sulky.

"He's not taking it well, is he?" she observed as the boys climbed out of the portrait hole. Liz snorted. "Would _you_?" she asked her, her tone a little challenging. Marlene looked at her, and her cobalt-blue eyes were surprisingly hard as she said, "Yeah, would you, Lily? Imagine it's something you're passionate about – like, say, Potions – and what if Snape comes second in a test, and you're first, and he's angry about it and petty enough to mess up your Potion in the next lesson – tell me, would _you_ take it well?"

Lily quickly held up her hands in surrender. "All right, all right, I get it!" she said irritably, and Liz and Marlene seemed satisfied. _Really, these two are much crazier about Quidditch than I thought! It's just a game – but Marlene's right – I'd be downright annoyed if Severus does something like that…_

Wanting to change the subject, she asked the others, "Well – you lot decided what new subjects you're going to take next year? We – me and Liz, that is – ran into a girl who is probably a third- or fourth-year – and she was rather helpful to us, though she did seem a bit full of herself at first…" She quickly narrated their brief run-in with Dorcas Meadowes, and concluded by saying what she'd been told: they should only take two or a maximum of three new subjects if they were to cope up with everything efficiently.

"All right," said Marlene at the end of this monologue, "I think I'd prefer to take two subjects only, considering that I want to try out for Seeker in fourth year, assuming Julie stays on for this year and the next – so I don't want to strain myself too much." Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Based on today's match, I'd say she'd be lucky to stay on the team… Two games and twice she's failed to catch the Snitch – if she doesn't catch it in the final game against Ravenclaw, she may be thrown off the team altogether!"

"All the same, if I want to try out for Seeker next year or in fourth year, taking only two subjects makes sense to me… So I'm going to go with Care of Magical Creatures and, er, Divination. Should be interesting to know the future, shouldn't it?" she said, and everyone nodded. "Yep, good thinking, Marlene," complimented Mary. "I think I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, too… My Mum's Muggle-born, so I know a good deal about Muggles, and I don't think I'm clever enough for Arithmancy or Ancient Runes. Besides, this way, I'll have someone to help me," she said, glancing sideways at Marlene, who snorted. "You'll turn out better than me at these subjects, and pretty soon we'll be wondering, who's helping who?"

They all laughed, and Liz said, "I think Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures interests me most – and also, Muggle Studies – I'd like to know how Muggles get on without magic! I mean, honestly, it seems impossible to me –"

"Yes, that's why Muggles are almost extinct," Lily said dryly, and the other girls laughed again. Liz continued, "In any case – I'm sure it'll be fascinating – though I'm kind of caught on Ancient Runes, too – ahh, I just can't seem to decide!" She grabbed her head as she spoke. "Maybe I'll flip a Knut – let's see, anyone got a Knut?"

Lily snorted. "Come on – go for the Runes – I'll teach you all there is to know about Muggles," she said reassuringly, and her best friend smiled. "That'll be great!" she said, "So that's that – I'm taking the Runes. I'm going to try out for the team, too – but I think I can handle three subjects," she said. "I mean, I'm sure I can," she added, more to herself than to the others; it seemed as if she was trying to convince herself.

They all looked at Lily, and Mary asked, "So, what about you, Lil?"

She considered. "Er – let's see – Care of Magical Creatures, definitely – Arithmancy, too, I've always liked numbers – and maybe Divination," she said.

Marlene frowned. "But Divination and Arithmancy – they're both about predicting the future, so won't it be repetitive?"

"I know it seems like that, but I think it'll be fascinating to study prediction of the future from two different points of view," she said. "Besides, I'm Muggle-born, so Muggle Studies is out of question – and I never liked hieroglyphics… We studied them a bit in school, and my head was all muddled up – so I think I'll pass on the Runes, which leaves the other three –"

"Hang on," said Marlene, "Hieroglyphics? As in, the symbols from ancient Egypt?"

Nodding, she asked, "You've heard of those?"

"I think they're part of the Runes curriculum," said Marlene. "I'm surprised that Muggles know about them – apparently, it was a big find for Wizardkind, for it detailed ways of life in the ancient times."

"It was also a big find for Muggle archaeologists – never mind," she added quickly, noting the confusion on their faces. Instead, she said, "I guess it's a good thing I'm not going to take Runes, then." The other girls nodded in agreement.

The door of the common room opened, and the Marauders walked in; Peter was carrying a big chocolate cake. They made straight towards where the girls were seated, and Lily noted that Potter and Black looked distinctly happier.

"Here you go," said Potter, as Peter set the cake down in front of them, "All yours – dig in – don't be strangers, now…"

"Thanks," she said to the boys, and the other girls echoed her before they each took a piece. "We were just discussing what subjects we were going to take next year," said Liz. "Have you lot decided yet?"

"Yep," said Potter, "I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and, er – Muggle Studies… And Sirius, too," he added, with a sideways glance at Black, who nodded in assent. "Me, I'm going with Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Ancient Runes," said Remus, and Liz looked at him in relief. "Thank God, I was starting to think no one wanted to go for the Runes and that I'd be all alone, Remus," she said, smiling at him.

"As for me, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination – everything else sounds a bit complicated," said Peter, and Potter rolled his eyes and said, " _Everything_ is a bit complicated for you, Pete." Black laughed, and Peter flushed. Lily hastened to defend him at once.

"Hey, that's not very nice, Potter," she said, "He can take whatever he wants… Don't worry, Peter, I'm in the same classes as you, and I'll give you a hand with your homework if it gets complicated – or if these two idiots decide to be a pain –"

"Oh, so you'll be with us in most classes," interrupted Potter. "Should be fun, eh?" Black said, his grey eyes gleaming, and Potter laughed. "You know that's right," he said, grinning evilly.

 _Great, just my luck… I guess Arithmancy is going to be my favourite subject,_ she thought dryly…

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"Five Galleons says I can eat more sandwiches than you, Pete," said Potter. It was Monday morning, and they were all seated for breakfast. Their first class was Transfiguration, and they were supposed to hand in their subject choices to Professor McGonagall. Peter grinned and said, "You're on, James." Together, they began to wolf down sandwiches at a furious pace, with Remus and Black egging them on, and Mark keeping count of the sandwiches being eaten.

Lily rolled her eyes and said to Liz, "Can you believe those two? If they continue to eat like that, they'll just vomit all over the place!" Liz made a face and shuddered. "Ugh," was all she said though, before asking her, "So what subjects is Snape taking?"

Lily noted Liz's casual, offhand tone. Her best friend knew that she and Severus were friends again, and that he'd offered to find out what went on in the covert Death Eater recruitment meetings. Lily was sure that Liz was making an effort to not be cold with Severus, and she appreciated her for it.

"Same as me," she said, "Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy – he was going to take up Runes, but he heard from some sixth-year that the subject was tough, so he just dropped the idea." Liz nodded knowingly, but didn't make any comment. They finished their breakfast and stood up to go for Transfiguration. Mark, Remus and Black seemed to be torn between watching an apparently riveting contest and wanting to get to class on time, until Jane said, "Come on, boys – else we're going to be late." Mark stood up at that, and said, "Well – Peter's leading with nine, and James is on eight – so you want to leave it at that?"

"Nah, you lot go ahead, we'll join you," said Potter. At least, that was what she thought he said; his mouth was full of food, and it was pretty hard to decipher his words. The other boys shrugged and began to walk in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom. Lily followed them; just before leaving the Great Hall she glanced back at the Gryffindor table to see both Peter and Potter still eating with great gusto. Shaking her head, she said, "They're going to be sick…"

"I'd put my money on Peter, though," said Marlene from behind them, "I mean, James is really fighting a losing battle – Peter's a bottomless pit!" They all laughed as they walked to class.

To their surprise, Potter and Peter didn't show up for Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall had taken their subject choice lists before informing them to 'ask Potter and Pettigrew to hand in their lists by evening'. "Well, that's odd," Marlene said as they exited the classroom to head for Defence Against the Dark Arts, "It's not like James to miss Transfiguration – though to be fair, he wouldn't need any time to catch up."

"Maybe they really did get sick," suggested Lily. It _was_ likely, after all.

"Maybe they're still eating," Liz said thoughtfully, before adding, "Nah, that's not possible, breakfast ended ages ago –"

"How about we just ask them?" Marlene suggested dryly, and Lily followed her gaze to the DADA classroom, where Potter and Peter stood just outside the door.

"Why did you skive off Transfiguration?" Marlene asked curiously as they approached the two boys. "You got sick, didn't you?" Lily asked, fighting back a giggle. Potter shook his head.

"Contrary to popular perception, we did _not_ get sick," he said, facing her squarely, a cocky grin on his face. "In fact, when we realized that we had to get going, we were on par – yes, I caught up – so we decided to call it a draw and dashed off… But as luck would have it, I twisted my ankle, and I just couldn't walk after that – every step I took caused me incredible pain. But Pete here," he slapped Peter's back proudly, "He's a true friend, this one – he carried me – yes, he _carried_ me – all the way to the Hospital Wing. By the time Madam Pomfrey mended my ankle, only about half an hour of Transfiguration remained – so we decided to just come here."

"Really, you did that, Peter?" Mary asked him rather admiringly, and he blushed. "Well – he couldn't walk – I couldn't just leave him there, now, could I?"

"That was gallant of you," Liz complimented, and he blushed even more.

"Yep," agreed Potter, "So I conceded the contest, and gave him the five Galleons. I think he deserves them – don't you?" Lily nodded; carrying a James who had presumably eaten more than a dozen sandwiches would certainly have not been easy. "All this eating isn't good for your Quidditch, Potter," she said, smiling slightly, "You see what does to your reflexes? So much food slows you down!" Liz and Marlene laughed, and Potter flushed slightly; but before he could respond, Professor Whiteman opened the door of the classroom and ushered them all in.

Once they were all seated, Professor Whiteman said, "Well, class – it's the start of March, and your term ends in June. So, I have a couple of announcements – the first one being, there will be no final examination for this class. Now, now…" But a huge outbreak of cheering had broken over the announcement, but she wasn't feeling so cheerful. She had a feeling that the lack of an exam could only mean that they had to complete some other, more daunting task in order to have the professor grade them. She disregarded Liz's arm, raised for an overhead clap; her best friend's smile was replaced by a confused frown when she slightly shook her head.

"Yes, that's all very nice, no exam nuisance for you all – however, for the next three months, in addition to your lessons and homework, you will all be doing a small project." The class quietened down at once, and the professor continued, "I will be dividing you all into pairs, and each group of two will work on this project together. We will be having a demonstration in the first week of June, where you will show the rest of the class – and another professor – what you've learnt."

This announcement was greeted by a silence. Lily was somewhat reassured; a project wouldn't be so bad, after all… She would most likely partner up with Liz, who was as good as (if not better than) she was at Defence Against the Dark Arts. She quickly focused as Professor Whiteman continued.

"For your convenience, I shall pair you up with someone from your own House. Let's see, now… Mr Adair, you and Miss Norton will work together…" He paired up the Hufflepuffs before coming to the Gryffindors. "Let's see, now…" He checked his register. "Ahh, yes," he said, "Miss MacDonald… You will be with Miss Carter. Mr Black – you're going to be with Miss McKinnon. Mr Gilchrist… You and Mr Pettigrew will work together…"

With a sharp intake of breath, Lily realized that her partner would be either Liz, Remus or Potter… _Well, that's a two out of three chance I'll work with someone I like,_ she thought to herself, as Professor Whiteman said, "Miss Huntington, with Mr Lupin –"

She took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes. _Oh, no,_ she thought… Of all people in Gryffindor, she just _had_ to be paired with James Potter.

"—Which leaves Mr Potter, with Miss Evans," finished Professor Whiteman. Potter turned around and grinned at her cockily; she responded with what she hoped was a smile in return, but she was sure that she'd just been successful at giving him a rather pained grimace.

"Now, your topic," said Professor Whiteman, "You will distinguish between jinxes, hexes and curses. You will list the effects of all of these from a list that I shall provide, and you will thoroughly analyse an example of each. As for a practical demonstration, you will perform any jinx of your choice from the same list. Remember, both team members must get the jinx right on the first try, else points will be deducted. And I shall be awarding a special bonus to all those teams whose work is most thorough. Finally, the team who scores the most points gets a prize. That should motivate you to do your best…"

He tapped his wand on the blackboard, and at once, writing appeared on it. Lily read:

 **List of Jinxes**

Impediment Jinx ( _Impedimenta_ )

Jelly-legs Jinx ( _Labocrus_ )

Pimple Jinx ( _Furnunculus_ )

Trip Jinx ( _Cados_ )

Ventus Jinx ( _Ventus_ )

 **List of Hexes**

Bedazzling Hex ( _Praestringus_ )

Hurling Hex ( _Mittus_ )

Stinging Hex ( _Aculeus_ )

Stickfast Hex ( _Colloshoo_ )

Tooth-Elongation Hex ( _Densaugeo_ )

 **List of Curses**

Blasting Curse ( _Confringo_ )

Body-Bind Curse ( _Petrificus Totalus_ )

Conjunctivitis Curse ( _Maloculus_ )

Leg-Locker Curse ( _Locomotor Mortis_ )

Tongue-Tying Curse ( _Mimblewimble_ )

She had come across a few of the spells written on the blackboard, but most were new to her. She remembered, with a pang of anger, how those two Slytherins Travers and Weston had cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx on her more than a year ago… _Well, I can describe the effects of that accurately, so choosing that jinx for analysis will surely give us full marks,_ she thought wryly.

"There you go," said Professor Whiteman, "Now, we have about half an hour remaining, so sit with your teammates and discuss what you're going to do." Resigned to the worst, she quickly wrote the list of spells down, stood up and went over to where Potter was sitting, and took Sirius Black's newly-vacated spot. She looked at her new teammate, whose lopsided smile was back.

"All right, there, Evans?" he asked, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"Listen here, Potter," she said, her eyes narrowed, "If we're going to work together for once, I'm going to set some ground rules, and you will do well to follow them." His grin widened, and she could see that he had no intention of heeding to her words. Nevertheless, she ploughed on. "Rule number one – I expect seriousness from you while we work. So, no playing the fool when we're discussing the project." He nodded, and said, "Of course – you see, I too intend to pass Defence Against the Dark Arts –"

"Rule number two," she cut across him, "We do the work equally, and we begin on time. I won't have you having fun in March and April, leaving all the work to me, and then having to do your share near the end of the term. No, we divvy up the work equally and do it in an organized fashion. Do you understand?" He nodded solemnly.

"Good," she said, "Now, Rule number three…" She thought for a moment. "Nah, that's all I had to say. If you're going to follow the rules, there's no reason why we cannot work well together and even win first prize!"

"Yes," he said, "And now that we're going to work together, you can at least be civil to me, Evans. I mean, I know we have conflicting views on your git of a Slytherin friend –" she bristled and opened her mouth to argue, but before she could retort he went on, "—but that's got nothing to do with this project, so for now, let's call a truce."

She closed her mouth and nodded slightly. "Fine," she said, "We're a team – at least temporarily – so I suppose a truce won't hurt."

He smiled, and she noted how warm his hazel eyes were. "A handshake makes it official," he said, and extended his hand. After a moment's hesitation, she shook it.

"Now," he said, suddenly business-like, "How about we just write these down for now, and discuss what we're going to do some time this evening?"

Already taken care of," she said, smiling a little smugly. She couldn't help it; she did, after all, pride herself for being one step ahead of everyone else. Noting his look of slight admiration, she said, "OK. What time do you want to meet this evening, and where?"

He considered. "I've got Quidditch practice today," he said, frowning, "So how about after dinner, in the common room, say nine o' clock? That good?"

"Yes, that sounds good," she said, "And in the meantime, I'll go to the library and look up a book that may help us – you know, something about jinxes and hexes –"

"Shouldn't be too hard for you to find," he interrupted, and his cocky grin was back. "After all, the library _is_ your second home –"

"What did I tell you about playing the fool, Potter?" she snapped, and he raised his hands at once. "Come on – I'm only joking. Lighten up, why don't you?"

She just gave him an irritated look in response. At that moment, the bell rang, and Professor Whiteman called, "All right – good luck, all of you. Class dismissed." There was a sudden rush towards the exit, and she said to her new teammate, "Nine o' clock, then, Potter. Don't be late." He nodded and smiled, and said, "Aye, aye, Captain." He mock-saluted her and she rolled her eyes. "No need for –" she started to say, but he had already rushed off to join Black and the others, so she shook her head and went to find Liz. She hoped that working with Potter would at least be less taxing than writing a DADA exam… _I'd still go for the exam, she thought_ …

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After dinner that night, she sat in the common room near the fire, poring over a thick book she had found in the library. She was looking at the definitions of each spell on the list, and didn't even notice as Potter came up and sat down in the chair in front of her. "'Evening," he said brightly, and she looked up. She quickly consulted her watch, and was rather surprised to see it showed eight-forty-five.

"You're early," she said, "We decided nine o' clock."

He looked confused, and said, "See, I understand if you didn't want me to be late. But being _early_? What's the problem if I'm early?"

"Then I have to spend more time in your company, and I'd rather not see you any more than I absolutely _have_ to," she replied, her tone teasing. He looked a little hurt, and she quickly smiled to show that she was kidding. A second later, he smiled incredulously.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" he asked, "Did Lily Evans just make a joke?"

She mock-hit him on his wrist and said, "What, I can't make a joke now?" He smiled at her, and the warmth in his hazel eyes was unmistakeable. Smiling slightly, she turned back to the open book in front of her.

"So," she said, "I've been going over these spells, and this book's really amazing – it has all the spells Professor Whiteman has listed!" He smiled widely and said appreciatively, "Trust you to find a book that reduces effort! Well done, Evans." She blushed at the compliment and said, "It was nothing, I found it in ten minutes. Anyway, I think we should go for the Jelly-Legs Jinx, you see – might be fun to learn that –"

"Now, hang on, Evans," he interrupted, "It seems like you've been doing all the talking since this afternoon – wouldn't you at least like to know my opinion?"

"Normally, I wouldn't care, but since we're teammates, I suppose I _have_ to listen to what you have to say," she said with a mock-sigh, and he rolled his eyes. "I reckon we should do the 'distinguish between jinxes and the rest' question last – it's the easiest, so let's leave it for the last couple of weeks. And we should decide tonight itself what examples we're going to analyse in detail, and what jinx we're going to demonstrate. Sound good to you, Your Highness?" he said, emphasizing the last two words and smiling lopsidedly at her. She considered.

"Yep – that's surprisingly organized, Potter," she said, unable to suppress the admiration in her voice. He rolled his eyes and said, "I know – now, do you agree with the Impediment Jinx? I only suggested it because it's a good defensive spell, handy during duels – it freezes your opponent for a few seconds, allowing you to get away – so I feel it's a good idea to learn it as we work on this project. What do you think?"

"I agree," she said, and she was as surprised as she knew he was, but his reasoning made a lot of sense. "So, Impediment Jinx it is – though I hope we can learn it; I think it's taught in fourth year, so it may be well beyond our capabilities –"

"Hey, no sweat," he said, smiling reassuringly, "Leave that to me – I'll learn it, and I'll teach you. It'll be easy."

"Everything's easy for you, Potter," she said, and there was a tiny undertone of resentment in her voice. "Not quite," he countered, "I wish I were better at Potions – but anyway, Hexes. I rather like the sound of the Stickfast Hex – thoughts?"

"I like the Stinging Hex more," she said, "But perhaps we should leave the Hexes until we study their definitions and effects – then we'll have a better idea."

"Spoken like the Lily Evans I know," he said, and she blushed slightly once again. "Now, Curses," he continued, "We already know about the Body-Bind Curse and the Leg-Locker Curse – as well as their counter-curses – so no point analysing that in detail, we should learn something new rather than doing something we already know, don't you think?"

"Of course," she said with conviction, "That's sort of the point of this project, isn't it?" He laughed and said, "Yes… Fair point. Anyway, I like the Blasting Curse, though the Tongue-Tying Curse sounds pretty cool too…"

"I like the Blasting Curse, too," she agreed, "So do you want to do that?"

He nodded in agreement. "All right then, it's settled… I'll handle the demonstration – and you handle the theory part – you're better at that than me – and don't worry, I'm going to do the theory too, obviously," he added quickly, catching her expression, and she relaxed at once. He rolled his eyes. "Look – don't think I'm going to leave you to do all the work. We're teammates, Evans – so we're in this together, and we will see it through."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He stood up.

"We're done, right?" he asked her. She supposed they were done; they had planned out their project outline, and it had taken a considerably lesser amount of time than she'd thought. "Let's see," she said, "We do the definitions and the effects of each spell by Easter – then there's the break – then we analyse the Impediment Jinx, the Stinging or the Stickfast Hex, and the Blasting Curse – then we learn the Impediment Jinx, master it, and finally we do the first question in the last two weeks of May. Yes, I think we're done."

"A nice summary," he said, smiling crookedly, "I think it's going to be fun working with you! Anyway, see you later!" She watched as he went up the spiral staircase to his dormitory, before resting her back against the chair. As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't going to be so bad working with James Potter… And if things worked out well, they could even win first prize!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	19. Chapter 18

Thanks for the review, amritap. Cheers!

Hi everyone, here is chapter eighteen. Please read and review… Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eighteen**

" **I know that you're a true friend!"**

"Come on, Evans – it's not so hard!" said Potter irritably.

It was a Wednesday afternoon in the first week of the Easter holidays, and she, along with most of the second-years, had decided to stay back at Hogwarts. Their pile of homework had recently grown to alarming levels, with Mary saying glumly that all the teachers thought that theirs was the only subject worth studying. With the DADA project and two or three essays due in each subject, Lily had decided to stay back at school, deciding to make judicious use of the library during the peace and quiet. Liz had decided the same, as had most of the other students in their year; only Remus had gone home to visit his mother. This had resulted in Liz deciding to finish all her homework so that she would be able to tackle the DADA project with fresh determination once the summer term began. Lily had been heartened to find out that Severus was staying back too; they met every evening in the library to discuss their huge pile of work. Nothing of note had happened over the past month, though, and Lily was starting to feel a little sceptical about the curious lack of news from Severus about any Slytherins involved in anything shady.

Right now, however, she and James Potter stood in the empty Transfiguration classroom trying to successfully cast the Impediment Jinx, and it was going badly.

"I'm trying, Potter, but you aren't telling me how!" she said with narrowed eyes, her face screwed up in concentration. She had been annoyed that Potter had been able to master the Impediment Jinx in one single day, while it had been three days and she hadn't been able to cast it properly even once. He had been helping her, but right then, he was being a real prick.

"Did anyone tell _me_ how?" he countered, pacing in front of her. "No – I did it all by myself – and I thought me helping you would make sure that you get it – but so far, I've been disappointed!"

She lowered her wand and stared at him in dislike. "You call this helping? You're more of a hindrance – constantly questioning if I can do it or not –"

"Well, you haven't cast it yet, have you?" he asked, his tone mocking, and she felt her temper rise. _The nerve of him_ , she thought angrily. "There's no point teaching you," he continued, in the same disdainful way, "You're incompetent – anyone can learn that, even Pete, and you know how thick he is sometimes – your last attempt was pathetic! I'm not going to waste any more time teaching you – you can learn it yourself – or, er, _not!_ " he shouted loudly, and started to walk towards the door.

Rage coursed through her. Potter, condescending her? _Her?_ Struggling to keep her temper, she called out, "Hold it right there – where d'you think you're going?" He didn't respond, and something snapped inside of her. "I said, _stop!_ " she yelled, her face red. Pointing her wand at him, she shouted, concentrating with all her might, " _Impedimenta!_ "

There was a flash of red, and Potter froze in his tracks. She watched with rising triumph as he struggled as if some invisible ropes were binding him. "There," she said derisively, "I got it, no thanks to you, you arrogant prick!" A few seconds passed before Potter unfroze and faced her. His countenance was inscrutable for a single moment before he grinned widely.

"Well done!" he exclaimed, to her astonishment, "I knew you'd get it eventually!"

"You did?" she asked, completely thrown. Hadn't he called her incompetent barely five minutes ago?

"Yep," he said decisively. "I saw you having problems with it yesterday, so I decided to try a different tack today – by winding you up, questioning your abilities, to anger you into concentrating harder – and it worked, didn't it?"

"So it was all a trick?" she asked him, still uncertain. He nodded happily, and she bristled. "Well, thanks for telling me!" she said, her tone acerbic.

"Ahh, come on, Evans," he said, raising his arms, "The trick is to concentrate, and your concentration wasn't enough yesterday. There were a couple of times when you nearly got it, though – so I knew that it was only a matter of time!"

"Then you didn't mean any of the stuff you said? Like when you called me incompetent?" she asked, trying to sound as if the answer didn't mean anything to her, though she was sure that she'd failed in doing so. He grinned. "'Course not," he said, "Who would call _you_ incompetent? You're first in nearly every class, and you're the best in our year at Potions – no point denying it, it is what it is!"

"Er, thanks," she said awkwardly, her anger evaporating; she was feeling oddly relieved as she heard him say that. _Why do I care what he thinks of me, though? He's not even a friend of mine – only an annoying classmate!_

"Want to try that again?" he asked, and she quickly faced him. "Sure, why not?" she said, and pointing her wand at him once again, she shouted, " _Impedimenta!_ " This time, however, he didn't freeze, and he shook her head at her. "You have to _really_ concentrate. Come on, do it one more time…"

An hour later, after Potter had been frozen and unfrozen five times in a row, he smiled at her warmly. "I do think you've got it, Evans," he said, and she glowed at the compliment. "As long as it works during the demo," she said, a little fretfully, and he snorted. "Come on – that demo is more than six weeks away – that's plenty of time to practise! Look at it this way – we can be more thorough with the theory, now that we've got the practical part all sewn up!"

"I s'pose," she said, before facing him directly. "Thanks," she said shyly, "I couldn't have done it so quickly without your – er, help." He grinned at her lopsidedly and said, "Nah, you would have – it would have taken a day more, maybe two – and I felt that by irritating you, I could get you angry enough to cast it at least once – and thus give you confidence so that you will learn it even faster. It worked, didn't it?" he added proudly, and she laughed.

"It certainly did – though your teaching methods are a little questionable," she teased, and he shrugged. "The end justifies the means," he said sardonically, and she rolled her eyes. "You don't mean that, do you?" she asked him, and he said, "Of course not. It's a stupid saying – if I cheat in a test and score full marks, does it mean that cheating is justified if I get full marks?"

"Exactly," she agreed, feeling curiously relieved that they seemed to share a few common viewpoints.

Looking outside the window, he said to her, "Look – it's still daylight, do you want to come for a fly on the Quidditch pitch?" He looked excited, but she didn't share his enthusiasm. _I'm really bad at flying, and that is the_ one _thing he suggests_ , she thought. "Haven't you seen me on a broomstick, Potter?" she asked, smiling wryly.

"A walk, then – come on, it's such a sunny day!" he said, and though she would've liked to, she had other things to do. "Sorry, Potter – but I have plans," she said, more than a little regretfully. _A walk would have been nice_ , she thought… _But I'm meeting Severus now, and we really must get started on the Transfiguration essay…_

"You're meeting Snape, aren't you?" said Potter, and his hazel eyes weren't warm anymore. In fact, they were hard – harder than she'd ever seen them. "So what if I am?" she asked defensively, "He's my friend!"

Potter shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand why you are friends with that slimy, greasy git," he said, the disdain in his voice unmistakeable, and she felt a ripple of anger. "Watch what you're saying, Potter," she said dangerously, "That's my friend you're talking about."

"Yeah, yeah, OK," he said, raising his arms as if in surrender, "Let's just agree to disagree, OK? I don't want to break the truce we have, considering how far ahead we are, and how well we're working together."

A little mollified, she said, "All right, then. I'll see you later." She gave him a little wave and he nodded in response. She exited the classroom and set off towards the library.

Why did people have a problem with Severus? _All right, granted, he may not be the nicest person in the world,_ she thought. _His treatment of the Marauders last term is evidence of that. But why is everyone prejudiced against him?_ As far as she was concerned, if Severus wasn't nice, neither were Potter and Black, and everyone seemed to like them – there was no denying it, Potter was popular, he was in the Quidditch team, and he was also an excellent student. _He could do with deflating his head a bit_ , she thought. _The bloke's too full of it for his own good – thinks he's entitled to stuff…_

She entered the library and went towards the back to the table she usually sat at with Severus. She spotted him sitting there with the usual pile of books in front of him, and immediately went over to join him. "Hi," she said as she sat down, and he looked up. He looked most glum.

"Hi," he said morosely.

"What's wrong?" she asked; based on his tone, he was upset about something.

"Nothing – I just got a detention," he said angrily.

"Why? What did you do?"

"I – well, someone was being rude about a friend, and I – er, I may have duelled him," he said shiftily.

"And? What happened, are you OK?" she asked him worriedly, looking for any signs of a wound or an injury, but finding none; he seemed to be unharmed.

"Yeah – I beat the blockhead!" he said, a little proudly. "But then a Prefect arrived and said that magic wasn't permitted in corridors, and attacking others certainly wasn't – in spite of others provoking you, apparently. She took me to Slughorn, and he's having me work with Hagrid – that big bloke who's our gamekeeper, do you know him?"

"I've only met him once or twice," she said, considering, "He seems all right. But tell me what happened – who were you defending?"

He looked straight at her and said, "Well – er, the other boy was being rude about – er, _you_." Reddening, he ploughed on quickly, "It happened like this…"

XXXXX Severus's POV XXXXX

He was walking along towards the Slytherin common room. He had finally managed to shake off his annoying partner for the DADA project, Ashley Bond, at the library; he had told her that she should find a book and get started on the theory while he went to the bathroom. He had no intention of going back too soon to the library, however; he was going to roam around for about half an hour at least, because he was too bored to work with Ashley. _She is such a whiner… Always whining about something or other_ , he thought irritably.

For the umpteenth time he wished that he'd been paired with someone he got along well with. He wouldn't have minded if his partner had been Tristan or Evan or even Pernicus – he wasn't particularly fond of Bruno, because he was a bit thick when it came to academics. And if he had to be paired up with a girl, there was only one he could think of.

Lily.

Severus looked forward to their study sessions every day, now that they were both here for the Easter holidays – most of the students in their year were staying back, thanks to the ream of homework that had been left for them. Severus had an aptitude for Potions and Herbology, and he was good with Defence Against the Dark Arts as well, but he struggled a bit with Charms and was thankful to have Lily helping him. And she was no better than he was at Trasnfiguration, though both their performances were gradually improving.

They did more than study, though. They usually discussed the news that came from outside the castle. The Prophet was reporting disappearances with increasing frequency, though the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement claimed repeatedly that the situation was still very much in control, and that the Dark Lord would be captured soon. Lily felt worried every time someone disappeared, and he couldn't blame her – in his mind, her being Muggleborn didn't really make a difference, though the situation had been opposite in his common room, with a few of the sixth- and seventh-years throwing around words like 'Mudblood' quite casually.

Still, the news last week had had Lily somewhat reassured, for the Ministry had been able to pass a bill that allowed Aurors to place basic protective spells over dwellings where Wizards or Witches resided – even Muggleborns. They had faced some opposition from old and wealthy pureblood families, who reckoned that Muggleborns weren't really a part of the Wizarding society, and therefore weren't worth the attention or effort, but the argument that every human life was important and worth the same had triumphed at last, and the law had been passed. This had allowed them to concentrate on more mundane things such as homework and projects.

He had been angry and jealous to find out that James Potter was going to be Lily's partner. He hated the scoundrel with a vengeance, for Potter always went out of his way to jinx him. Lily disliked Potter too, but he had been rather annoyed when she'd told him that Potter was actually a good partner and that they worked well together. For the umpteenth time he wished he'd been the one to partner Lily.

His other friends didn't think much of her, though. They looked down upon her for being a Muggleborn, but they were careful to not call her a Mudblood, at least in front of him (he suspected it was probably because they regularly borrowed on his class notes for homework and tests; therefore, they had to keep him happy). Once or twice, Tristan had told him rather grudgingly that he felt she was prettier than most girls in their year, and that if she hadn't been a Muggleborn, he wouldn't have minded being friends with her. Evan had admitted that he had a grudging sort of respect for her, because she did manage to be one of the top students in their year in spite of having no magical background. However, Pernicus Mulciber routinely got under his skin by saying that he shouldn't be associating with her, but that was mainly because she was a Gryffindor (at least he claimed it was so). Bruno Avery simply didn't care.

He turned a corner and came face-to-face with two boys he recognized from his own House: Pernicus, and with him was Andrew McMahon. Severus wasn't particularly fond of McMahon; he was a year older, and he was one of the people who threw around the word 'Mudblood' routinely, though he'd stopped doing that in the common room because he'd found out that there were a couple of Slytherins, a fifth-year girl and a sixth-year boy, who were Muggleborn.

"Severus!" Pernicus said enthusiastically, "We were just going down to the Quidditch pitch, mate – nice day, good conditions! You want to come?"

 _He knows I don't like Quidditch_ , Severus thought irritably. _So why does he keep asking me if I want to play that stupid game?_ Aloud, he said, "Nah, you go on – I'm doing the Defence project – I just stepped outside for some time."

"Come on to the pitch, then!" Pernicus said again. He shook his head, but before he could say anything, McMahon interrupted, "Ooh, going to meet your friend, are you? The one from Gryffindor – what's her name now – Evans, isn't it? Leslie Evans?"

"Lily Evans," Severus corrected him curtly. He didn't like McMahon's tone, and liked it even less when the other boy continued, "Whatever, I don't care. Are you going to meet her?"

"What is it to you?" he asked curtly. "I don't think it's your business."

"Woah, easy there, mate," said Pernicus, glancing from him to McMahon. Severus knew what he was thinking: McMahon was bigger than him, about twice as big, and if it came to a fight, there would be no doubt about who would win.

"Nothing – except that she seems to have chosen another kid – Potter, isn't it?" asked McMahon mockingly. Potter's name made his blood boil. "I saw them today, heading into the Transfiguration classroom," McMahon added with relish, "Wonder what they were doing?"

Jealousy coursed through his veins like poison. He knew what McMahon was implying but he forced himself to stay calm. "They're project teammates, they were probably working," he said, an edge to his voice. McMahon laughed derisively.

"Well – she seems to be ingratiating herself within our people quite well," he said, with unnecessary emphasis on 'our'. "She may need someone to protect her in future – with the Dark Lord promising to purge the Wizarding world of Mudbloods like her –"

He didn't know when he'd drawn his wand. All he knew that blood was pounding in his ears, and his anger was threatening to spill out any minute. "Don't call her that," he said, "She's my friend – and she's way smarter than you are –"

"Rubbish," said McMahon dismissively. He drew his own wand. "No Mudblood is smarter than me – she knows that too, which is why she's spending so much time with that Potter kid –"

" _Pulsum!_ " Severus shouted, but McMahon dodged the Pushing Jinx. " _Cados!_ " he yelled back, but Severus moved out of the way quickly, and the Trip Jinx missed him. "Hey – stop it," Pernicus shouted, but no one was paying him any attention.

" _Labocrus!_ " McMahon shouted, and the Jelly-Legs Jinx hit him; he wobbled around helplessly and the older boy laughed. "You think you can defeat me – think again, you wanker!" Hatred boiled in his veins, and pointing his wand directly at his opponent, he screamed, " _Furnunculus!_ "

McMahon was caught unawares in his moment of victory, and he let out a cry of pain as ugly boils started to sprout up on his face. He danced on the spot in agony, and taking advantage of his opponent's distraction, Severus quickly pointed his wand at his own legs and said, " _Finite._ " He stood up properly once again, and looked at his moaning opponent with narrowed eyes. "Who's beating who now?" he yelled disdainfully, and raising his wand once again, he roared, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " McMahon fell back, his arms snapping against his body; he lay on the ground rigidly. Severus furiously advanced on him, but before he could do anything more, a female voice called, "What is going on here?"

They all turned around to see a girl with a red-and-gold badge on her chest; she was obviously a Gryffindor Prefect. "No magic in the corridors, boys," she chided as she caught up to them. Taking in the scene, she quickly unfroze McMahon. Examining his face which now resembled that of an old hag, she instructed Pernicus, "Take this boy to the Hospital Wing." Pernicus obeyed, and helped McMahon to his feet as the girl turned to Severus and said, "And you – you come with me to Professor Slughorn."

McMahon looked at him with hatred in his eyes as he and Pernicus set off. Pernicus signalled to him to meet him in the common room later, and he nodded, wondering what his friend had in mind. He set off behind the girl sullenly.

"What's your name, and why did you curse him?" asked the girl as they walked.

"Severus Snape," he said dully. He was in trouble now, but he strangely felt no guilt; after all, he was sure that McMahon deserved it. "He provoked me – he called my friend a Mudblood."

"And you attacked him for that?" the girl asked, her tone slightly disbelieving. He bristled.

"She's my friend," he said angrily. Luckily, the girl didn't push the issue. "Well, tell that to Professor Slughorn, Snape – and you'll get an easy detention." He was surprised.

"I don't understand – why do you care what kind of detention I get?" he asked her.

She turned to face him just as they arrived outside Slughorn's office. "Because, Snape – you may have broken the rules, but you did what was right. And that – the teachers value that."

She knocked on Slughorn's door, and he ushered them in. "Well, well, Alice – to what do I owe this pleasure?" Spotting him, the Professor smiled genially. "Severus! What's my most talented student doing with a Prefect?"

"Professor – he used magic in the corridors," said Alice the Prefect. "The other boy is in the Hospital Wing – but I'd suggest you hear this fellow out before you decide his punishment."

"All right, all right – you may go, Alice," said Slughorn pleasantly, and the girl stepped out of his office. "Sit down, Severus," said Slughorn kindly, and he obeyed. "Now, what happened?"

He briefly described what had transpired between him and McMahon, at the end of which Slughorn said, "Well, well – so you attacked him because he was being rude about Lily?" He blushed slightly. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Well done, boy," Slughorn said, and Severus detected a distinct note of pride in his voice. "However, rules are rules, Severus, so you get a detention." Severus felt angry at that – why was he getting a detention for defending his friend? "Let's make it an easy one, though – report to Hagrid the gamekeeper on Friday morning. You are to help him to, er, tend to his gardens. Just, er, do as he tells you – you won't have to do more than water his plants. And we won't take any points from Slytherin," he added, winking at him. That cheered him up slightly.

"Thank you, Professor," he said, "Can I go now?" Slughorn nodded affably, and he quickly exited the office. He was still annoyed for having to do a detention, but he was sure he'd gotten off easy. He felt rather proud that he'd beaten an older student…

XXXXX End of Severus's POV XXXXX

"And that is what happened," said Severus, coming to an end of his narrative.

She was touched. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; she had known that it would have been difficult for Severus to do what he had done because most of his housemates were prejudiced against Muggleborns. He had probably antagonized half of his House, but he had stood up for her, and she appreciated him for it. A warm glow spread across her body.

"Thank you, Sev," she said softly, her eyes bright. He smiled back at her and said, "No problem. I know that I was an absolute moron before Christmas, you know… And like I told your friend Huntington, I realized that I was happier being your friend than – er, _not_. So – I did what was right. I hope I redeemed myself a bit –"

But that was as far as he got, because she stood up and hugged him immediately. It felt wonderful to have someone else apart from Liz stand up for her for a change, and she even happier that it had been Severus. He seemed shocked with her action, but he patted her on the back awkwardly.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Anytime," he whispered back. She quickly drew back and returned to her seat, blushing slightly. "You don't have to redeem yourself, Severus," she said softly. "I know that you're a true friend."

His eyes lit up like the sun at that, and he said, "You've stood up for me before, so it's only fair that I return the favour…"

She nodded appreciatively and went back to her work. She felt happier than she had in weeks. She had received confirmation of what she'd known all along… She could count on Severus, and he was truly one of her best friends…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

May arrived quickly, and with it came sunnier days and clearer skies. The last two games of the Quidditch season took place in that month, with Gryffindor playing Ravenclaw first, followed by Slytherin versus Hufflepuff which was the final game of the season. Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw with a solid two hundred and ten points, as their Chasers had a good day with the Quaffle, racing away to a score of one hundred against forty, before Julie Perkins caught the Snitch, ensuring that Gryffindor remained in the hunt for the Quidditch Cup with two wins out of three matches. The match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff would be the decider, however; with both teams having one win from two games, this match was a winner-take-all.

"I'm really nervous," confessed Liz as they walked down to the Quidditch pitch together. Ahead of them, Potter was animatedly discussing the points table with Marlene and Black, while Remus walked a little way behind them, an expression of polite interest on his face. Mark and Peter seemed to be discussing something too; she presumed that it was their DADA project. Mary and Jane walked behind them in silence, with her and Liz bringing up the rear.

She patted her friend's hand. "Well – if Slytherin win, they win the Cup, right?" she asked, and Liz shuddered. "Don't remind me," she begged, and in spite of herself, Lily grinned. She liked how her best friend was passionate about the game, and hoped with all her heart that Liz would make it to the team one day.

"Any word from Snape?" Liz asked her, and she shook her head. "No," she said, "As far as I know, he was invited to some meeting by Mulciber – but he said that it was more of a study group. There was no Malfoy, no Travers – no sixth- or seventh-years at all. It was just a few boys from our year – and one fourth-year, who acted as a bit of an instructor, and whose job was to give them all a glimpse into what will be taught in third year. Mulciber invited him to join them because he was apparently impressed with Severus's jinxing abilities."

Liz rolled her eyes. "This may be something unrelated to what I saw," she said. "I don't know what he's telling you – just how many so-called 'study groups' exist in this place?"

"I don't know," said Lily. "He doesn't seem to have gained entrance to one of those recruitment meetings – he thought he was being taken to one of those until the last moment, when he realized what it was. He says he found it interesting, though. He even offered to teach me some stuff, but I declined – I'd rather learn everything from the teachers."

"Good thinking," agreed Liz. "So is he going to try to find out about the recruitment meetings, or not?"

"I think not," Lily said, a little dispiritedly. "He was on the lookout for months, but he found out absolutely nothing. He even asked Avery – apparently, Avery is the dumbest of them all, and most likely to give something away – but he still got nothing out of him. He's beginning to doubt if anything happened at all."

"Oh, trust me, it did happen," said Liz firmly. "Anyway, thank him for trying… It seems as if Malfoy was spooked because he nearly discovered someone (me) spying on him, and decided to not have any more meetings this year."

"That's probably true," Lily agreed as they climbed into the stands and took seats behind the other second-years. _I wish he'd found something out, though… We'd have found more evidence against Malfoy and the others… Or even caught them in the act…_

"Perfect conditions," said Potter from the row ahead of her. He sounded worried. "Should be a high-scoring game, eh, James?" Liz asked from next to her, and he turned around and said, "Yep, looks that way… Though good visibility increases the likelihood of the Snitch being caught early, too – so we have hope."

"Er – how come?" Lily asked, and everyone looked at her. She blushed a little and said, "I mean, if Hufflepuff win, they will win the Cup, too, right?" Black snorted and Potter rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's like this, Evans," began Potter, in a tone that clearly indicated that he was trying hard not to condescend her. "If Slytherin win, they will win the Cup because their point difference – the points scored minus the points conceded, for all three games – is far superior to ours. However, if Hufflepuff win, it'll be down to point difference between us and them. Our current point difference is a hundred and forty, and theirs is thirty – so if they win by a margin of a hundred and ten or more points, they win the Cup. They beat us head-to-head, so they still win the Cup even if they tie with us on point difference. Bottom line – I want Hufflepuff to win, but not by more than a hundred points."

She nodded to show that she understood, but her head was spinning with all the numbers. "Hundred points, got it," she said, and he nodded to her. "So we're supporting Slytherin to get a lead of fifty points or more, and maintain it – then we'll support Hufflepuff to catch the Snitch – that way, they win the match but we still win the Cup," said Black. "Should be fun, eh?"

"I hope it turns out that way," said Marlene, and Lily agreed with her fervently.

The game commenced with Slytherin quickly taking a thirty-zero lead in the first five minutes. The Hufflepuffs pulled back with a goal, but Slytherin scored twice more to make the score fifty-zero. At this point, Lucius Malfoy chased the Snitch and nearly caught it, but a last-moment Bludger from the Hufflepuff Beater David Wilson thwarted his attempt. Encouraged by their Beater's effort, the Hufflepuffs began to play with more determination, and scored a few more times, keeping pace with their opponents and slowly whittling their lead down to twenty points. Lily knew that if the Hufflepuff Seeker caught the Snitch now, they would win the Quidditch Cup as well. It looked like most of Gryffindor House was now praying for Slytherin to score at least three more goals.

Their prayers were answered; Greengrass scored two quick goals in less than a minute, and Artus Flint scored another, to bring the score to hundred-fifty. "And it looks like O'Shea has seen the Snitch!" Brandon Smith shouted, and the Hufflepuff supporters cheered their Seeker on. "Dimwits," said Black derisively, "If he catches it now they'll lose the Cup by ten points! Everyone says Hufflepuffs are duffers – looks like it's true!" He laughed.

Lily looked on, heart in mouth, as O'Shea dived faster – but Malfoy was on his tail. "And it is Kirwan with the Quaffle – now Bevan – he's in position – he SHOOTS – and scores! Slytherin, hundred – Hufflepuff, sixty! And oh, my – just look at the Seekers – is any one of them going to catch the Snitch? And it's O'Shea! He's caught the Snitch, Hufflepuff win!"

A huge cheer ran through the crowd; Hufflepuffs shouted and screamed with great excitement. Lily quickly made the calculation in her head – Hufflepuff had won by two hundred and ten points to hundred, which meant a margin of a hundred and ten… _Oh, no_ , she thought… _That is exactly the number Potter said, isn't it? They've won it on head-to-head!_

"And based on point difference and head-to-head matches, Hufflepuff win the Quidditch Cup!" Brandon Smith yelled, confirming her calculation. She exchanged dispirited looks with Liz, and Marlene asked an abashed-looking Black, "Not such a duffer, their Seeker, is he now?" He had no response to that. The rest of the second-years gloomily began to make their way out of the stands; however, Lily noticed that Potter looked oddly unaffected.

"Er – we lost, Potter," she said to him, puzzled, "Shouldn't you be sadder?" He grimaced.

"Oh, I'm sad, Evans – but to be honest, Hufflepuff deserved to win today. Besides, this isn't how I'd have liked to win the Cup – depending on point difference and with our fate out of our hands… Nah, I'll prefer to win it outright – in style – winning _all_ three matches!"

"Well, I guess there's always next year," said Liz, smiling at him. He grinned back at her.

"Yep," he said, his grin growing cockier, "There's always next year!"

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"Did you check our answers?" she asked. "Yes," he replied shortly.

It was the first week of June, and they were walking along to Defence Against the Dark Arts for their project demonstration. It just so happened that everyone was walking with their partners, most likely going over their project write-ups and spells one final time.

"Did you find any mistakes? Are they fine? And what about the distinction between jinxes, hexes and curses? Did you add that last point of differentiation, the one about the time for which the effects last? Like how curses strengthen over time –"

"Will you relax?" he exclaimed, and she shut up at once. "Blimey, Evans – you ask more questions than Binns does in his exams! For the last time, I found no mistakes anywhere, and like I told you four times already, I added that last bit – so will you calm down?"

She took in a deep, steadying breath. "Sorry," she said restlessly, "I always get nervous before any sort of demo or dance or anything where everyone's attention will be on me. I suffered from stage fright as a child, you know – there was this one play on King Arthur in my old school, and I was playing the role of his, er, Queen, and I was all right during rehearsals – but on stage, when my turn came to speak, I just froze when I saw all these people looking at me – it was so embarrassing!"

"Hey, relax, OK?" he said, patting her hand. "You know your stuff – you're going to be just fine. You can cast the Impediment Jinx at will, and you did very well with the theoretical portion – I'm pretty sure we've got the best project!" She didn't really share his confidence; nevertheless, she felt slightly better.

"And besides – we have our trump card, remember?" he said, his hazel eyes gleaming. "Professor Whiteman said he will award special bonuses, too – and I'm sure that we will win first prize, once we're done!"

"Yes," she agreed, and smiled nervously. "I know we've done more than he asked – I just hope he values effort."

"He will," Potter said reassuringly as they entered the classroom. Everyone was sitting with their partners, which left Lily to share a table with him at the back of the classroom.

"Good afternoon, class," said Professor Whiteman brightly. "As you all know, today is a double period, which gives us about ninety minutes to hear all of you out and to see all your demos. Now, for the parchment that contain your answers… _Accio!_ " Rolls of parchment flew across the room and landed safely on the table in front of the Professor.

"Now – here's what we're going to do. Each team will come forward. I will ask questions to each member – wrong answers will result in loss of points for both teammates, so be warned – you must know what you've been studying for the past three months. I've said it before and I'll say it again – your work must be thorough. I also have an antidote for the Pimple Jinx here with me –" he indicated a small bottle on his table, "—should anyone decide to perform that one." He sat down on one of the benches and faced the blackboard so that students could come forward and give their demos. "Now – who wants to go first? How about – Mr Gilchrist, and Mr Pettigrew?"

Mark and Peter sauntered up to the front of the classroom and faced the rest of the class. "Now, Mr Gilchrist – tell me, what are the effects of the Trip Jinx?"

"That one's easy!" she whispered to Potter, who nodded in assent, a slight frown on his face. Mark looked visibly relieved as he said quickly, "It causes the victim to trip forward, sir – even if there's nothing to trip them. Works best when the victim is running."

A ripple of laughter ran throughout the class as Professor Whiteman said, "Correct. Now, Mr Pettigrew – what is the incantation for the Blasting Curse?" Peter looked scared as he frowned, trying to remember. He looked at where she was sitting, and she looked sideways to see James mouth 'Confringo' to Peter. She quickly looked ahead, just in time to see Peter say, "Er – _Confringo_ , isn't it?"

"That is correct, Mr Pettigrew," said Professor Whiteman, and Mark looked relieved. "Now, please demonstrate your Jinx…"

"You told him the answer, didn't you?" she whispered to James, who grinned and said, "Pete can be thick sometimes – he needs a little help here and there, but I'm sure one day he'll be able to do these things rather easily." She nodded; she was beginning to realize that Peter wasn't like an adoring puppy to Potter and Black. They genuinely counted him as one of them.

Professor Whiteman continued to call forth each team. Lily noticed that the Hufflepuffs seemed more nervous than the Gryffindors in general, though most of them did get their jinxes right. It was similar for the Gryffindors, though Jane performed the Impediment Jinx successfully only on her second try, which left Mary a little disappointed. Black and Marlene jinxed each other at the exact same time, and wobbled around for a few seconds before Professor Whiteman performed the counter-curse, while the rest of the class laughed; the Jelly-Legs Jinx was definitely comical to watch. Liz and Remus were the best, though, according to her. They both performed the Ventus Jinx which sent a spiral of air from their wands; but in addition to that, they wore their pointy hats, and knocked over each other's hats with a well-aimed Ventus Jinx. Professor Whiteman was certainly impressed.

Finally, the Professor called, "Miss Evans – and Mr Potter."

"Good luck," whispered Potter, and she reciprocated by giving him a thumbs-up. They walked forward and faced the rest of the class, and Lily tried to fight down her panic as she realized that every single student's eyes were on them.

Suddenly, her mind went blank.

 _Oh, no_ , she thought desperately… _Not now… Please, not now…_

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	20. Chapter 19

Thanks for the reviews, amritap, Guest (KG) and niharika. You guys rule! :-)

Hello everyone, here is chapter nineteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Nineteen**

" **It's only fair if it's two against two!"**

She stared blankly at Professor Whiteman who proceeded to ask Potter, "Well, Mr Potter… Tell me, what are the effects of the Bedazzling Hex?"

"That's an easy one, Professor," said Potter cockily. "It allows one to hide or disguise an object from other people by making it almost invisible to them." Professor Whiteman gave an approving nod, and turned to her. She fought her panic as she tried to remember the definitions and effects and incantations of all the spells they had studied, and her mind drifted away from the classroom…

"Er – Evans!" someone whispered, and she felt a gentle nudge to her side; she quickly turned sideways to see Potter wearing a rather anxious expression on his face. He must have sensed her agitation, for he gave her a tiny, encouraging nod as if to say, 'Go for it'. And inexplicably, that seemed to calm her down. The other students vanished from her mind's eye as she focused on the professor, who wore an inquiring expression on his face.

"Sorry, Professor," she said apologetically, "Could you please repeat that?"

"Pay attention, Miss Evans," the Professor said, a little crossly. "I asked you to give me the incantation for the Impediment Jinx."

A fleeting memory of Potter teaching her the Impediment Jinx in the Transfiguration classroom went through her head before she smiled and said confidently, " _Impedimenta_ , sir – that's the incantation for the Impediment Jinx."

"Well done, that is quite correct," said Professor Whiteman, "Now, if you two would be kind enough to demonstrate…"

Smiling confidently, she walked to her left and faced Potter, who had already raised his wand. "I'll go first, shall I?" he asked her, and without even waiting for a reply, he shouted, " _Impedimenta!_ " She froze immediately; she remained that way for about ten seconds before regaining her locomotion. _Stupid prat_ , she thought angrily. _He didn't even wait for me to get ready… Now I'm going to have to cast it after him, and it takes away the satisfaction of doing it first…_

"Good one, Mr Potter," said the Professor, "Now, Miss Evans – your turn."

She faced Potter again; raising her wand and concentrating hard just as he had taught her to, she yelled, " _Impedimenta!_ " She was enormously relieved to see Potter freeze up, relieved that she'd cast the Jinx on her first try – but wanting to go the extra mile to make amends for her earlier panic, she quickly said, " _Finite._ " Potter unfroze, and Professor Whiteman looked impressed. "A jinx _and_ a counter-jinx," he said, smiling approvingly, "Well done, Miss Evans, Mr Potter."

"That's not all we can do, sir," said Potter, and he grinned at her. She surprised even herself as she grinned back and raised her wand once again. " _Cados!_ " she screamed, and watched with grim satisfaction as Potter tripped and fell face-first onto the floor. The whole class laughed, and she felt her heart lift… It was as if she'd never had stage-fright…

Potter quickly rose to his feet, pointed his wand at her and yelled, " _Ventus!_ " A strong jet of air blew at her, and her hair flew backwards; she closed her eyes against the wind current, which lasted for about half a minute. Grinning, she opened her eyes and looked at Professor Whiteman, who was watching with an astonished face. "It seems you have grasped more than one jinx," he said. "A commendable effort, indeed…"

She knew that it was enough; the professor would surely award them first place. Elated, she looked at Potter, whose face certainly mirrored the delight she felt. Professor Whiteman ushered them to their seats to call forth the final pair of Hufflepuffs. She exchanged an overhead clap with Potter as she went back to her place, but not before she caught Liz's expression of utter surprise; she knew how it must look, with her and Potter sharing what looked like camaraderie…

At last, Professor Whiteman stood in front of the class once again. "I am very impressed with all of you," he said. "You have performed what I asked and more. Your project scores will be given to you shortly, as soon as I finish correcting your theory work. Now, stay quiet for the rest of the period." With that, he went back to his table and absorbed himself in correcting their work.

"Nice wandwork, Evans," Potter said from next to her, his hazel eyes twinkling. She grinned back at him. "And you," she said warmly. From ahead of her, Black turned back. "You cheated, mate," he said softly to Potter, "He said to learn only one, you did three…"

"He didn't say _not_ to do more than one, now, did he?" Potter whispered back wickedly, and Black looked abashed. "I guess you two are going to win it, then," he said gloomily. Marlene grinned at her from beside him. "Nice Trip Jinx, though," she said, "I nearly died laughing when you tripped him so neatly – it was fun to watch!" She started to laugh, and Lily joined in. Potter frowned. "Be nice, McKinnon," he said softly, "Or else you'll be the one getting tripped all the time – Evans isn't the only one who can do it successfully, you know –"

"Quiet back there!" Professor Whiteman said sharply, and Marlene merely stuck her tongue out at Potter before turning back to the front. Further chatter ceased for the next few minutes.

At long last, Professor Whiteman stood up and waved his wand. At once, all the parchment rolls flew back to their respective owners. "Good work, everyone," said Professor Whiteman proudly, "I will certainly rank this class as among the best I've ever taught –" A resounding cheer ran through the class at that, and the professor smiled and continued, "Now – for such exemplary work, everyone gets ten points for their Houses. And the winners – please give them a round of applause – are Miss Lily Evans and Mr James Potter!"

Giddy with happiness, she jumped off her bench and almost ran forward to Professor Whiteman, as the rest of the class clapped and cheered; Black even whistled. Professor Whiteman handed them a sealed envelope each, and said, "You both get your prizes for your exemplary spellwork – and comprehensive theory work, I should say." Potter looked at her with appreciation in his eyes, and she glowed… It was correct, she _had_ done the bulk of the theory. "In addition, you both earn Gryffindor fifty points each. Class dismissed!"

Everyone began to pack, but Potter came up to her and said ecstatically, "I told you – we were going to win! See – we do make a good team, don't we?" She smiled jubilantly at him, and said, "Yes – I never doubted that we'll win for a second!" He snorted and said, "Liar." She blushed slightly; it _was_ true, after all. They exited the classroom together; she nodded at him in a friendly sort of way before setting off to join Liz, who gave her a congratulatory smile. "Nice work – you got us a lot of points, we'll take a lead for the House Cup now!" her best friend said. She grinned as they walked towards the common room, but her thoughts weren't on the House Cup… In fact, they centred around one James Potter.

 _He really isn't so bad_ , she thought. _He may be big-headed, but he is frightfully clever… He is very gifted too, he was able to teach me all those Jinxes… And he was a surprisingly good partner, too… He did his bit and more, much more…_ She couldn't understand how she regarded James Potter. Was he simply an annoying classmate? _No_ , said the voice in her head… _I mean, annoying, yes – just a classmate, certainly not…_ A friend? Not really… Though someone she would be pleasant to if she met them outside of classes… An acquaintance, then? _Hmm, that may work_ , she thought… _Yes, he is a casual acquaintance…_

"Er, Lily?"

She snapped out of her reverie to find Liz looking at her with her eyebrows raised. "Sorry, I didn't catch that – er, what did you say?" she asked hastily. Liz rolled her eyes and said, "I said, we have some time before dinner, about an hour or so – so d'you want to find an empty classroom and practise the Disillusionment Charm again?"

Lily hesitated. Their exams were nearly upon them – today was Wednesday, and the exams began next Monday. Besides, she was sure that practising the Charm for an hour more wouldn't make much of a difference; they had been at it for the past month, but still hadn't been able to cast it successfully even once on the chair that they were supposed to be hiding from view. An idea flashed in her head.

"Come on, let's go," she said, excited; taking Liz by the arm, she headed back to the DADA classroom, which she knew would be empty by now. "What –?" Liz started to say, but Lily kept jogging at a reasonably good pace, and only when they'd entered the classroom did she let go of Liz's arm.

"You could've just said yes – why'd you have to drag me, I could have come by myself!" said Liz irritably, panting to catch her breath. Lily grinned. "Look – we haven't got the hang of the Disillusionment Charm yet – and it's been a month since we began to practise it. One more hour won't change much – so I have a spell that may serve as an alternate for time being!"

"We already have an alternate," said Liz dryly, "Remember the black smoke spell I taught you?" She smiled at the memory; Liz had taught her that spell during the Easter holidays. "But this one is more efficient!" she protested, "Unlike that black smoke spell, this spell only affects the opponents – not the caster!"

There was a second's pause, and Liz looked at her, frowning; she said, "OK – what spell is this?"

"The Light Intensifying Spell," said Lily excitedly. "The incantation is _Lumos Intensum_ – it casts a flash of bright light from your wand – and it is able to blind your opponent for a few seconds while you can either attack them – or skedaddle, whichever works!" Liz stared at her for a few more seconds, the frown never leaving her face.

"When did you find this spell?" she asked at last, and Lily smiled a little smugly. "When I was reading up on Curses and Hexes," she said, "I was bored, so I opened a book titled 'How to Win a Duel' – and I saw this spell in it. I practised it a little, and –"

"Can you do it?" Liz interrupted, and Lily nodded happily. "Got it last week. I was going to tell you after the DADA project…"

Liz thought for a moment. "OK," she said finally, "Show me."

"Gladly," said Lily; raising her wand, she yelled, " _Lumos Intensum!_ " There was a blinding flash of white light, and when it cleared, Liz stood in front of her, her eyes shut tight and an expression of utter discomfort on her face. "My eyes – what did you do to my eyes?" She wrung her hands blindly, and Lily fought down a laugh as she watched her friend struggle.

"Relax – it's only temporary," she said soothingly, and placed a comforting hand on Liz's shoulder. Her friend seemed to calm down at once. "That's it," said Lily softly, "Now wait for a few seconds – then open them." Liz obeyed, and once she finally opened her eyes, she smiled in relief. "Whew – I can see again!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course you can – it isn't permanent!" Liz looked at her and her sea-green eyes danced eagerly. "Teach me!" she exclaimed, "Teach me now!" Lily laughed and said, "I didn't bring you here to just sing and dance, you know," she said dryly, and Liz laughed.

Liz was able to master the Light Intensifying spell in about half an hour, following which they went for dinner to the Great Hall. They departed to the common room, discussing what they wanted to revise first. The next week was going to be long and arduous.

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"And that's it! We're done!" sang Liz as they stepped out of the classroom after their last exam, History of Magic. Lily grinned happily alongside her. "It went well," she said, "Though I'm not really sure about those Warlocks of the subcommittee from the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards – they were from Sardinia, I think, or was it Corsica? It was Corsica, wasn't it? Oh no – I got it wrong –"

"Stop it!" grumbled Liz, all cheeriness gone. "It's done! We're free! Leave the exam be, Lil – and don't forget the policy – no discussion of exam papers, remember? Blimey, I should've chosen Marlene as my best friend!" Lily punched her friend lightly on the arm and said, "OK, OK – no discussion." Liz smiled, and said, "That's the way. Now come on – do you want to laze around in the grounds after lunch?"

"Sure, why not? Not like we have anything to do now, is it?" she said sarcastically, and Liz laughed as they stepped into the Great Hall. "And just so you know – those Warlocks were from Sardinia, so your answer is right!"

"Whew – thank God!" said Lily, and Liz rolled her eyes. They took seats in front of the other second-years, and watched with interest as Peter drank pumpkin juice from his glass while Black held it at the bottom, forcing the fat boy to keep drinking from it. To their surprise, however, he drank it all, and gave a triumphant smile at an abashed-looking Black. Grinning, Lily began to load her plate with food.

"All right, Evans?" said Potter, smiling at her. She smiled back and said, "Not bad, Potter – how was your exam?" He grinned and said smugly, "I aced it!" She rolled her eyes and went back to her food. "What're you lot going to do after lunch?" Marlene asked the boys. Potter said, "We're going down to the Quidditch pitch for a fly, see? Some blokes from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are coming too – so we'll mostly play Quidditch all day!" His eyes gleamed bright with anticipation, and Marlene asked with interest, "Great – can I join?"

"Me too," said Liz, and Black grinned widely. "Of course – the more, the merrier!" he said. "Anyone else wants to come?"

"Well – Mark and I will probably just walk around," said Jane, "So you can join us if you want to…" Mark nodded in agreement, but Lily was sure that based on the lack of conviction in Jane's words, everyone would just decline politely. She wasn't disappointed when Peter said, "I feel like playing Wizard's Chess… Anyone wants to play with me?" There was a second's pause before Mary said, "I'm open to it – but only if you'll go easy on me, Peter." The fat boy grinned a little nervously and said, "Sure, no problem." Turning to her, he asked, "And you, Lily? Do you want to play, too? I recall you asking me for a rematch after we last played on Easter Sunday." Peter's eyes held an uncharacteristic twinkle, and Lily grimaced slightly.

"Nah – I think I'll just laze around near the lake today," she said, "Like I'd decided earlier with someone." She glanced sideways at Liz as she spoke, and her best friend blushed and mouthed 'sorry' at her. She smiled at Liz to show that she was kidding, before turning back to Peter and saying, "But I'll play after dinner tonight – that sound good?"

"No problem," said Peter happily. Beside him, Potter and Black were talking boisterously with Marlene, presumably taking a head count of people who may turn up to play that day. Just then, Remus looked at her and asked, "Er – is it OK if I join you, Lily?" She smiled at the brown-haired boy and thought, _how considerate of him… He probably thinks I'll be alone, and he wants to keep me company…_ Aloud, she said, "Of course, Remus!" He brightened up at that, and Mary said, "Then we'll come to the grounds, too – with our Chess set – what say, Peter?" Peter nodded in assent.

After lunch, they all went their separate ways. Lily walked with Peter, Remus and Mary until the shade of the beech tree next to the lake, where Peter and Mary set up their chessboard and began their game. Lily and Remus watched for a few minutes, until Remus said, "I know you wanted to laze around, but do you want to walk along the lake instead?" Lily nodded in agreement; it was an excellent idea, after all. They waved to their friends, and began to walk along the banks of the lake.

"So – how were your exams, Lily?" Remus asked her.

"Not bad," she said, "Yourself?"

"Likewise," he said, smiling. "I think I did well enough on DADA and Charms, but I'm not so sure about Transfiguration and Potions – and History of Magic was tough, too – but I'm sure I'll pass," he added quickly, as it trying to reassure herself. She smiled inwardly to herself. Here was someone else apart from Severus who was willing to discuss exams with her!

"Potions and Charms were the easiest for me – DADA and Herbology were fine, too, as were History of Magic and Astronomy – the issue was Transfiguration. I think I messed up at least two questions – I don't know why, but I just can't seem to do well in McGonagall's classes – and that too, after she was the one who brought me my Hogwarts letter – I feel like I'm letting her down!" she burst out fretfully.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry – you'll get better as time passes – it's a complicated subject, see?" She smiled and said, "I hope so." A silence fell between them as they walked along the edge of the lake. From the distance, they could make out several figures flying on broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch.

"You didn't join them?" Lily asked him, and he shrugged. "I'm not as passionate about Quidditch as James and Sirius," he said. After a slight pause, he said, "Congratulations for winning the DADA project contest." She smiled at him, and he asked her curiously, "What prize did he give you?" She laughed and said, "Coupons – for five free Butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks. I'll use them next year, when we go to Hogsmeade for an, er, _official_ visit this time." He laughed with her at that. There was another pause, and he continued, "James speaks highly of you – he said he liked working with you, said you were very efficient."

Her smile grew wider. "Well – he wasn't half bad himself," she said, "He was the one who taught me all those jinxes. He does it so effortlessly – I was really jealous!" He laughed and said, "Yes, it's hard not to feel that way. James is usually the first of the four of us to master a new spell – he's a natural. Then Sirius gets it – then me – then Peter." She wasn't surprised; Potter and Black may be arrogant and immature but she had grudgingly accepted over the course of the past two years that their spellwork was top-notch.

"I'm surprised he speaks highly of me, though," she said pensively, "I mean, we're not exactly friends, are we? In fact, rather the opposite –" she blushed slightly, and he smiled. "To have respect for someone is irrelevant of being friends with them. For instance – I'm not a fan of your friend Snape – but one has to accept it, he is the best in our year at Potions, and I respect him for it."

A warm feeling spread inside of her; here was someone who didn't hate Severus irrationally. " _He_ is the best?" she asked teasingly, and Remus rolled his eyes. "No – second-best to _you_ ," he said wryly. She laughed.

"How is your mother?" she asked softly. His brow clouded at once. "She's fine, I guess – for now, that is." She touched his hand comfortingly, and he ploughed on, "She has a condition called 'Indomitauctum' – it's like that Muggle disease called, er, cancer – you'd have heard of it –"

She involuntarily squeezed his hand, deeply saddened. She knew about cancer, obviously – it was incurable, and it resulted in death most of the time. It didn't take a genius to understand that Remus's mother would eventually die a slow and painful death. She felt a rush of sympathy to the boy standing next to her. "I'm so sorry to hear it, Remus. Is there anything that can be done?"

He smiled sadly. "There's no cure, Lily. There's something called a Deleus Potion… It can keep the symptoms in check, see? She has to take it once a month, and she is incredibly weak for about two days afterward as the Potion acts. But then for the next month she can live an almost normal life – she says it's a small price to pay. She's brave…"

"And that's why you visit home every month, don't you?" she asked, and he nodded. He said, "Look, only James, Sirius and Peter know about this, and I'd like it if you kept this to yourself. I don't want everyone's pity – nor do I want anyone to treat me differently, because, you know…"

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Remus – whatever you told me will remain between the two of us." He smiled in relief as they turned around and started to walk back to the beech tree. She couldn't imagine how Remus was able to concentrate on his academics and be such a good student whilst carrying around the weight of his mother's illness all the time. _Poor boy_ , she thought. She immediately resolved to be kinder to him from now on, though ironically he had just told her that he didn't want people to know because they would treat him differently out of pity.

"So – how come you and Snape are friends?" he asked her curiously, breaking into her train of thoughts. She smiled and said, "We know each other from before Hogwarts – we live in the same town, Cokeworth. He was the one who told me I was a witch, and he's a really sweet boy… I don't understand all this bad blood between you all and him, I just don't…" She grimaced, and he grinned.

"I don't have anything against him," he said, "That's mainly James and Sirius – I don't know where their hatred comes from, and I never asked –"

"And yet, you help them out when they pull their stupid pranks on him," she said shrewdly, and he looked abashed. She smiled and said, "Don't worry – I know that he's no saint; I tried to interfere so that everyone will like each other, but that backfired spectacularly – after that I promised Liz that I'd stay out of it – though if I catch you bullying him, there's no doubt as to whose side I'll be on," she added, a little fiercely.

"No, there's no doubt whatsoever," he replied wryly.

"He's really a sweet boy, you know," she said. She began to relate how Severus had stood up for her around Easter, and he listened with polite attention (though his eyebrows were still raised sceptically). By the time she was done telling him about it, they were back under the beech tree, and Lily noticed to her surprise that Liz and Marlene were now sitting next to Mary, both sweaty-faced and giving her instructions. Peter had a smug smile on his face as he sat facing the girls, none of whom seemed to have any idea how to beat him.

"Bullying the weak again, are you?" she asked Peter teasingly, and he looked up her a little sheepishly. "I don't get to do it very often, do I?" he asked her, and she laughed. "Pick on someone your own size, Peter," she said, "How about you play with me?" His smiled and said, "Of course – now, this game still isn't over, apparently it's three against one –" he glanced at the three girls facing him, and they looked a little embarrassed, "So you may have to get another board, Lily."

"No problem," she said. Looking at Remus, she said, "Nice talking to you, Remus." He returned her smile tentatively and said, "Likewise. Want me to come with you to get your board?"

"That's a two-person job now?" she asked him sardonically, and he laughed. "It's OK – I'll get it myself." She turned to Liz and said, "I thought you were playing Quidditch?" Liz looked up and said, "It was a damp squib – only about six people came to play, the rest were either too lazy or too bad at the game. It got boring after about an hour – so we just packed up. James and Sirius volunteered to take the balls and broomsticks back, so we came here to join you."

"Right," said Lily, "Sit tight, then, I'll be right back." Marlene waved at her as she departed the scene and made for the castle. She entered the huge doors and began to walk towards Gryffindor tower. The castle seemed to be empty; she had seen a lot of people lazing around in the grounds outside, and she grinned at Liz's frustration with the lack of Quidditch players. She could understand why that was; on a day like this, she was sure that no one would want to do any sort of exercise.

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

The loud incantation brought her back to the present. It seemed like the sound came from the passage ahead, and she hastened her pace. She turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. It was an all-too-familiar scene; Severus stood in front of her, his back to her, and facing him were (unsurprisingly) Black and Potter. All three had their wands out, and Black and Potter stared at her friend with anger and hatred on their faces.

"Stop!" she yelled, and quickly ran to Severus's side. "You OK?" she asked him, and he nodded firmly, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. She faced the other two boys. "Leave him alone!"

"It's not what you think, Evans," Black fired at her angrily, "He was the one who attacked us!"

"Rubbish!" she shouted disbelievingly. Did he take her for a fool?

"He's lying, Lily!" Severus shouted back, "You know I'm doing as you asked me to, and staying out of their way – I didn't do anything, they were the ones who attacked me –"

"SHUT UP!" Potter yelled suddenly. "Evans," he turned to her, his hazel eyes wide, "He's lying to you, Evans – he was the one who attacked us, and I don't even know what spell he used – it was lucky he missed – you have to believe me! We didn't attack him, he started it!"

She was baffled. Usually, she would've believed Severus without question, but this time it was different. She had gotten to know James Potter a little better over the past three months, and based on what Remus had told her just an hour ago, he thought most highly of her. Surely he wouldn't lie to her? She had enjoyed working with him, and she knew that he was honourable and chivalrous.

And yet, the scene was all too familiar. Potter and Black weren't exactly discreet about their feelings towards Severus, and had attacked him for no reason on more than one occasion. Surely the same thing was happening again? And why would Severus lie to her? Hadn't he stood up for her against own housemates? No, Severus couldn't be lying… Which meant…

"Don't lie, Potter," she said, her eyes narrowed, "I know how this happened… I'd suggest you put down your wands and go away… Leave him alone!"

There was a fraction of a second during which a strange emotion flickered in his eyes. She turned towards Black, whose grey his eyes were hard, and his mouth was curled in a cold sneer, which made his handsome face look surprisingly cruel. "I knew it – she'd believe him – of course she would – they're friends, after all – stinking, cowardly, wanker that you are, Snivellus –"

"Enough!" she yelled at Black, "Go away, now!" But neither of them moved. They just stood facing her with their wands raised. Potter's expression had hardened, and his face was cold and set. She felt disquieted with the emotion she'd seen in his eyes before. Had it been disappointment, or exasperation, perhaps? Had it been revulsion? There was no question as to what it was now; he looked enraged.

"He attacked us, so it's only fair that we attack him," said Potter, his tone harsh. There was a pause as she looked at him.

"Have it your way, then, Potter," she said, and drew her own wand. "In that case, it's only fair if it's two against two." Severus looked at her, shocked; she just nodded reassuringly at him, and his face showed a ghost of a smile as he turned to their adversaries, his eyes full of hatred once again.

There was a silence as they all faced each other. Then, without warning, Black yelled, "Fine, on your own head be it! _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

She and Severus both jumped aside to dodge the curse. "You're asking for it!" she yelled, and shouted, " _Cados!_ " Black dodged the Trip Jinx and Severus yelled, " _Furnunculus!_ " The curse missed by inches as Black nearly fell over in an attempt to dodge it. " _Impedimenta!_ " yelled Potter, finally jumping into the fray, but his jinx missed them both.

" _Locomotor Mortis!_ " she yelled, and the Leg-Locker Curse hit Black; his legs stuck together as if they had been glued. He screamed with anger, but Potter just pointed his wand at him and said, " _Finite!_ " His legs broke apart at once, and Potter shouted, "Stay focused, Sirius!" just as Severus yelled, " _Expelliarmus!_ " Black quickly jumped out of the way, but before he could react, Lily screamed, " _Expelliarmus!_ "

In no position to dodge the Disarming Charm for a second time, Black's wand soared out of his hand as Lily looked on with satisfaction. Potter yelled, " _Furnunculus!_ " but Severus dodged his curse as Black went after his wand with a howl of rage. Severus was too quick for Black, though; he yelled, " _Impedimenta!_ " Black froze in his tracks and stayed still.

" _Finite!_ " Potter said again, and turned to them after releasing Black. " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " he yelled, and Severus fell backwards, rigid as a stone. " _Finite!_ " she whispered, pointing her wand at Severus, and he struggled to his feet just as Black retrieved his wand. She seized up the situation; Black was rash and impulsive, but Potter's methodical head would make sure that he remained safe. Similar was the situation for her and her hot-headed friend; there was no escaping it, they were too evenly matched, and this duel could go on for a while…

Suddenly, an idea flickered inside her brain. "Shut your eyes," she whispered to Severus, who looked at her enquiringly, confusedly… "Shut them!" she implored, and he obeyed. She faced Potter and Black, who stood with their wands raised. " _Lumos Intensum!_ " she yelled, and the passage was filled with a blinding, momentary flash of bright white light. It cleared at once and she saw, to her satisfaction, that Potter and Black stood dancing on the spot, temporarily blinded.

"Go. Now," she commanded Severus, who had opened his eyes and was taking in the scene with admiring fascination. He looked tempted to attack them while they were incapacitated, but he quailed under her gaze. "Get a teacher," she suggested, and he nodded in agreement, but before he could take even a single step, a voice called, "What is going on here?"

She turned around to see the Head Boy, Lawrence Stratton, striding quickly towards them. "What are you children doing – duelling in the corridors?" He caught up to them, briefly took in the scene, and said, "Well, well – Gryffindors and Slytherins, aren't you? Three Gryffindors – so thirty points from Gryffindor," he said; turning to Severus, he added, "And ten from Slytherin as well – now, run along, all of you."

Neither of them moved. "This isn't fair!" Lily burst out, but the Head Boy cut across her and said, "Be happy that I'm not giving you detention, my dear girl. Now, move along before I take off any more points! And you – Slytherin –" he indicated Severus, "—you come with me, so that this incident isn't repeated when I'm gone. I'm taking you to your common room – come on –"

He beckoned to Severus, who started to walk behind him sullenly. Just before they turned the corner, however, Severus turned back to her and looked straight at her. He gave her a smile and a grateful wave before following the Head Boy out of sight.

She immediately rounded on Black and Potter. "What were you thinking, attacking him like that? Why do you do the same thing – again – and again – and _again_?"

"It was different this time!" Black yelled, his face red. "He attacked us – and you're too thick to believe us –"

"I'm not thick!" she shouted back. "It was obvious from what I saw – I heard you yell, Potter, I heard you shout out the Disarming Charm, so it doesn't take a prodigy to understand what happened!"

Potter laughed derisively. "I don't expect anything more from you, Evans. You'll be on that slimy git's side whatever we say, won't you?" She bristled, but he went on, "That's fine – you can believe whatever you want – but the truth won't change. Your friend is a cowardly git, and you're too much of a troll to see his true colours!" He shouted out the last sentence, and her rage exploded.

"I don't know why I thought you were actually a good person underneath all that arrogance, Potter!" she ranted. "I thought you were honourable – but it seems I was wrong, yet again – I was right about you the first time, Potter – you big-headed, arrogant, bully!"

"And you're a blind, self-righteous and stupid girl!" he flung back. "Blind as a bat!" he added, somewhat childishly, and Black laughed disdainfully. "I second that!" he yelled at her.

"Fine!" she said, her voice shaking with fury, "Say what you want! See if I care!"

And with that, she stomped away in high dudgeon, leaving them seething in her wake.

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The final day of term arrived at last, and Lily was disappointed to discover that she was now fourth in their year, having been beaten by Potter (who was second) and Severus (who stood third) behind Roger Hathaway, who was at the top once again. She couldn't understand how Potter had beaten her yet again this year. That too after I worked so hard, she thought angrily. I guess I'll have to try harder next year… She hoped that Gryffindor would win the House Cup that night, so that she could have the satisfaction of attaining at least one of the personal objectives she'd set last year. She had done all she could to earn points in classes, though she did fell guilty for losing ten on the day their exams had ended.

She still bristled at the memory. She had returned to the common room, and she hadn't gone down to dinner, preferring instead to sit in her dormitory, staring up at the ceiling and wondering yet again about how she could've been so wrong about James Potter. She had begun to genuinely respect him after their project partnership; so much so that she had been willing to overlook his arrogance and sense of entitlement. All that had changed, however, when she had battled him and Black alongside Severus, costing their house a few points, and causing her to lose all the respect she had gained for him.

She had narrated the entire incident to Liz, and had admitted grudgingly that she had only Snape's word that he had been attacked by the other two. Liz had heard their version of the incident too, though, and she had outspokenly told Lily that she believed them, that she was sure Severus had been the one to attack them. However, mature girls that they were, Liz and Lily hadn't quarrelled over their conflicting beliefs, preferring instead to not discuss the incident.

She had cold-shouldered Potter and Black from that day onwards, and they had ignored her, too. They still spoke normally with Liz, as did she with Peter and Remus (who had both been rather relieved at that). She had finally had her rematch with Peter, too, and much to her frustration, he had beaten her yet again – though this time, he'd said that it had been difficult, and that the day would come when she'd beat him.

Outside the castle, more news kept coming in every week about new attacks, but there had been some positive steps, too – the Ministry of Magic had begun to implement the law to place protective spells over Wizarding dwellings all over Britain, and Lily had received a letter from her mother only two days before about it. Her parents had been most pleased to have protective spells over their houses, and her mother had gone on about how a 'Mr Shacklebolt', a young man from the Ministry had been the one kind enough to do it. By the tone of the letter, Lily suspected that her mother had been smitten by this 'Mr Shacklebolt', who had become an 'Auror' only that year, and who had a deep, slow voice that was exceedingly reassuring. She had smiled inwardly to herself; this 'Mr Shacklebolt' sounded like a most interesting person.

They all went down for the Leaving Feast that evening, and Professor Dumbledore stood up to deliver his speech as soon as they were seated. He went on at length about how the climate outside was dark and dreary as ever, but the new law passed by the Ministry had been a real blessing, although implementing it successfully would be another matter altogether. He concluded by saying once again that they should choose to do what was right instead of doing what was easy, and that they should never give in to the Dark Side.

Finally, it was time for the House Cup to be awarded. "Right," said Professor Dumbledore, "This is the final points tally – at fourth place, Slytherin – with three hundred and thirty-six points; at third place, Ravenclaw, with three hundred and fifty-three points; at second place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and ninety points – and in first place, mostly thanks to their marvellous performance on the Quidditch pitch this year, the House Cup winners – Hufflepuff, with four hundred and twelve points!"

The uproar from the next table was enormous. "Hufflepuffs rarely get any sort of glory," Mark whispered helpfully from beside her, "Mum told me. That's why they're so happy right now." The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws sportingly applauded the Hufflepuffs, but she noted that the Slytherins all looked sullen-faced and unsmiling; with a satisfied smile, she saw Lucius Malfoy staring at the Hufflepuff table, his eyes narrowed. She did feel a little bad for Severus, though.

"That's why we were let off with docked points only!" Black said suddenly from ahead of her, slamming his palm on his forehead. "That Head Boy – he's a Hufflepuff, isn't he? He knew that we were in the lead, and he knew he could dock points off us – so he removed just enough for them to have a healthy winning margin without making it too suspicious!" Potter looked at him in shock before saying, "You could be right, mate – if that's why he did it, he's sneaky! Well – that's a first from a Hufflepuff!" He sounded awed, almost admiring as he said that, surprising her.

She felt a little guilty as it had been the three of them who had lost Gryffindor thirty points, which had made them lose the Cup after being tantalisingly close once again. Before she could think more about that, she was distracted by the plates in front of her filling with food. The feast was delicious, and Lily chatted and laughed with everyone else whilst pointedly ignoring Black and Potter, who responded in kind. Liz rolled her eyes at their behaviour, but knew better than to interfere; she chose to simply give them all a derisive smile before turning away to talk to Marlene.

Left free to brood, she reflected upon her failed objectives. She had badly wanted to win the House Cup for Gryffindor… She had just as badly wanted to beat James Potter, too… _Next time_ , she resolved, _next time…_

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 **Author's Note:** Thank you, my dear reviewers, for sticking with this story and following it religiously. That's the second year done, with five more to go, so stay tuned! Cheers!


	21. Chapter 20

Thanks for the reviews, amritap, Cassandra30 and Drew Michaels. You guys rule! :-)

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Weekend at Liz's**

"Was it really necessary for you to invite them?" whined Lily for the umpteenth time.

"Come on, Lily – _they're_ my friends, too! Now, be nice," Liz said irritably.

It was the final week of the summer holidays. Lily was spending it at Liz's, and Mr and Mrs Huntington had graciously offered to drop her off at King's Cross, thereby saving Lily's parents a trip to London. Her mother had protested slightly, but Lily had spent most of the summer at home, and with her father on her side, her mother had finally given in with good grace.

The Evans family had visited Lily's cousin Matthew and his parents and had stayed there for about a week in July. Matthew, who had been an absolute terror during their childhood, had now become a very well-behaved boy, much to Lily's surprise. With Petunia still cold towards her, she and Matthew had bonded and warmed up considerably to each other. Matthew had spent quite some time apologising profusely for his behaviour during their childhood, and he still hadn't been able to understand how his cup had turned into a crab. He was inclined to believe that it had all been a bad dream, and while Lily laughed inwardly at the memory of that incident, she kept a deadpan expression on her face.

Matthew, she discovered, had developed an aptitude towards sports. He was only a year older, but he was half a foot taller than she was. His arms were muscly, and his tall and wiry frame made him a natural athlete. He played football; he was on his school team as a forward, and he had spent some time telling her stories about how he'd scored a few rather impressive goals, and how he was now the team vice-captain. He had asked her questions about her school, too, and she had told him as much as she could without giving him any crucial details. She had instead preferred to talk about her friends and teachers and her overall aptitude towards academics. She had had a good time with him, and they had resolved to stay in touch; however, she had told him that her school's post system was messed up, and it would be better if he sent letters for her to her parents' house first, and they would forward them to her. He had agreed with this arrangement, though he'd looked rather sceptical of her tale. She had hoped he'd believed her.

Over the course of the summer, she had gone to Marlene's and Mary's homes for tea, and had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She'd taken to Marlene's Mum, who looked much younger than her forty-seven years, due to their common interest in Potions. Mrs McKinnon was a researcher with the Magical Research and Development Office, which fell under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; she was currently working on developing a new and powerful Healing Potion for internal injuries, and Lily had been very interested in what she was working on. Mrs McKinnon had ended up urging her to consider a career in research, as they were currently shorthanded, working against time to help St Mungo's Hospital as much as they could by developing new potions and remedies for people who whose lives were being blighted by the war. Mrs McKinnon had also told her that Marlene's Dad was an Auror, and that he was currently away on a top-secret mission.

At Mary's, she had had a lot of fun. Mrs MacDonald had the same soft amber eyes as Mary, and she had asked Lily a lot of questions. The MacDonalds still lived in Tickenham, which had been the location of an attack more than six months ago, but Mrs MacDonald told her proudly that the new laws had made sure that their home was much better protected, and that they could now take care of themselves a little better. Mrs MacDonald also told Lily that being a Muggleborn didn't mean that one would be second-class; Muggleborn witches and wizards could rise to good positions in the Ministry, too. She cited herself as an example and encouraged Lily to pursue a career she wanted without worrying about blood purity. Mr MacDonald had proven to be a jovial character, and when Mary had told him of Lily's prowess in Wizard's chess, he had immediately played with her, wanting to see for herself. It had been a difficult match, but Lily had won in the end, and Mr MacDonald had been mightily impressed.

Lily had decided against inviting any of her friends to her own house, out of fear of how Petunia would behave. Her sister had adopted a new tactic against her; she pretended as if she couldn't see or hear Lily. Hurt at first, Lily had cried herself to sleep for a few nights, before steeling herself to a new resolve; two could play this game. She had therefore acted just as indifferent towards her sister, and her parents had finally given up on the two of them. She had chosen to spend a lot of time outside the house, meeting Severus in the park where they'd first met, and sitting in the shade of the big elm tree as they did their homework. They discussed the war, to; with more reports of attacks and injuries, the summer holidays weren't exactly relaxing.

Severus had even invited her home for tea once, and it had been an evening that she didn't like to recall. Severus's house was two storeys high, situated sight at the end of a street called Spinner's end. Its interior was gloomy, but Mrs Snape made up for it by serving them delicious tea and scones. She was a slight woman, with a gloomy-looking face that seemed to be permanently set in a sullen expression. She told Lily that she'd been President of the Hogwarts Gobstones Club, and spent a few minutes going over the finer points of the game. She asked Lily about their lessons, and seemed to like the fact that Severus was friends with her; in fact, while Severus went to wash his hands, Mrs Snape told Lily that it was a good thing for her son to have a friend like her, and that she hoped Lily would always be there for him, considering that he didn't have too many friends of his own apart from a few boys in his House. Lily had warmed up to the woman after that; she clearly had her son's best interests at heart. The arrival of Severus's father had changed everything, however; he'd stumbled into the house punch-drunk, and he'd smashed at least two teacups by throwing them against the wall out of anger for inviting someone over for tea without his permission. Severus had quickly ushered her out of the house, apologizing again and again for his father's conduct, though he'd sounded irate rather than contrite.

"OK, fine," she said to Liz. "I'll be nice – but if they do any sort of hanky-panky, I won't be having it, I tell you!" she exclaimed. Liz rolled her eyes. "If they do any hanky-panky, you're going to have to get in line – you can do what you want once _I'm_ through with them," she said grimly, and Lily laughed. It was a Saturday, and Marlene and Mary were going to come over for the weekend, along with Remus, Potter and Black. Peter hadn't been able to make it; in response to Liz's invite, he'd told her that he would be visiting relatives with his mother that weekend.

"This is so exciting – we're going to play Quidditch!" said Liz, clapping her hands animatedly. Lily snorted. " _You're_ going to play," she corrected, "I'm just going to watch." Liz looked around at her, her sea-green eyes incredulous. "What rubbish!" she exclaimed, "We're _all_ going to play!"

Lily's response was interrupted by the arrival of Marlene, and Mary arrived soon after. They had just begun to unpack when Remus stepped out of the fireplace. He greeted Lily with a warm hug, and Liz with an enthusiastic overhead clap. Lily supposed that Remus and Liz had become a lot closer after working on their project together. Black arrived a few minutes later, and greeted everyone except her enthusiastically; he just gave a curt nod in her direction, and she returned it, following which he paid no more attention to her, which suited her just fine. She was still angry with him about the duel, and she supposed that he was, too.

"Isn't Potter coming?" she asked in a confidential aside to Liz. "Why do you care so much?" her friend whispered back, a teasing look in her eyes. She snorted. "It's not like Black to come alone – they're inseparable, aren't they?" she said. "Well – true as that may be – James will be here by lunchtime," said Liz confidently. "His parents are coming, too – apparently, they have some important stuff to discuss with Mum and Dad."

Lily raised her eyebrows. Maybe Potter's parents being there could be a good thing. They would keep him in check… Not let him do any mischief… She sighed and shook her head as she remembered Liz's letter to her last summer. Potter's mother pampers him to no end, her friend had written…

"So, how have you been, Lily?" Remus asked from behind her, and she jumped. "Not bad," she said, smiling, "Petunia is still a pain, but I ignore her now… And I visited a few relatives over the summer, that was fun. I'm done with our homework, too," she added proudly, and he grinned with relief. "Excellent, you can help me with the History of Magic essay," he said, and she laughed.

"Of course," she said, before adding, "How's your Mum, Remus?" His brow clouded over for just a second before he smiled wryly. "She's OK, for now… But she has to take her Potion next weekend, so I'm going to be with her then – which means that I'm not going to ride the train, and I'm going to miss the first day back."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Remus," she said sympathetically, "So how will you get to Hogwarts?"

"There are ways," he said, smiling mysteriously, "How do you think I get home every month to be with Mum?" She was thrown; she hadn't really wondered how. "How?" she asked him.

"The fire in Dumbledore's office!" he exclaimed. "Fast and reliable," he added, and she laughed. "That's true," she agreed.

"Come on, you two – Quidditch!" sang Marlene from behind them. "Liz said there are about ten brooms in the shed – so hurry up if you don't want to be stuck riding the slowest one!" She bounded outside, and with a sigh, Lily began to follow her. Remus fell into step beside her. "You're not particularly fond of the game, are you?" he asked her shrewdly. She sighed. "Not really," she conceded, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like to watch – but I'm not your typical passionate fan, you know. Give me Wizard's chess any day!" He grinned. "Yeah, we know how good you are at that," he said, his eyes twinkling, "But Pete is still better!" He laughed, and she blushed slightly. "I'm going to beat him one day," she vowed, and he smiled again as they reached the shed.

Within fifteen minutes, they were all set to play. Two trees near the beach would serve as goalposts, and Liz produced an old, worn-out Quaffle. They began to pick teams; Black and Liz were made captains, and a toss of a Knut gave Liz first pick. "Marlene," she said promptly. "I'll take Remus," said Black. Liz took one look between Mary and her, before mouthing 'Sorry' at her and saying, "Mary." Left with no option, she sighed and joined Remus and Black just as the latter said in a voice laced with irritation, "Fine – Evans it is, then." It was hard to tell whether Black was angrier than her with the prospect of them being in the same team. She decided to ignore him, and instead turned to Liz.

"Er – how do you play three-a-side Quidditch?" she asked her best friend. Liz's eyebrows went up in surprise before she let out an exclamation. "Oh, that's right, I didn't realize you haven't played three-a-side Quidditch before! It's very easy – no Beaters and no Seeker. Two Chasers and one Keeper who can join the Chasers – at the risk of leaving the goal open, that is. First team to a hundred points wins – or do you want to make it a hundred and fifty?" she added, looking at Black.

"Nah, hundred's fine," said Black, before throwing a sideways glance at her. "I don't think it'll last too long, anyway – so keep a hundred points as the target, and we can play more games." She glared at him; had he implied that with her presence on his team, they would be too weak to compete? _I'll show him_ , she decided angrily, and mounted her broom.

"All right – you and I are playing Chaser, Remus," said Black, before turning to her, "And you, you can be Keeper – if you can manage it. Just – try not to let in too many goals, OK? That way when we eventually lose, we can at least try to lose with dignity." She bristled; she knew that she was a poor flier, but there was no need to broadcast that particular fact. She contented herself by glowering at him again, before they lined up in front of each other. Liz held the Quaffle. "On three, then," she said, "One – two – three!" She threw the Quaffle high in the air, and they all took off immediately as the game commenced.

Within ten minutes, it became apparent that their team was outmatched. Liz and Marlene moved in the air effortlessly, while Black and Remus found it difficult to match them move for move. Plus, Mary wasn't bad as a Keeper, and she made some good saves; in contrast, Lily was hesitant, unsure of herself, and whenever Liz or Marlene took a shot at her, she would make only a half-hearted attempt to save the goal, clearly a little afraid of the big red Quaffle. Black would let out a scream of frustration every time she let in a goal, and the score was soon seventy-thirty in favour of Liz's team.

"Watch the Quaffle, Evans," Black yelled exasperatedly as she let in another goal. "Eighty-thirty," Marlene sang as she exchanged overhead claps with Liz and Mary, who was regularly venturing away from the tree which served as the goalpost, assisting Liz and Marlene rather efficiently. "I'm trying, Black, but I'm not a good Quidditch player – you'd notice that if you stopped shouting for one minute!" she yelled back at him, incensed. "Woah, temper, temper," said Remus, trying hard to keep the peace. Black scowled at her. "You're not a good player, that doesn't even begin to cover it. You're the worst player I've ever played with!" he screamed, his face red.

"Fine!" she shouted, her cheeks flaming. She turned away to hide the sudden tears that had come in her eyes. He was so unkind! "You lot play – I'm out!" Then, before anyone could stop her, she shot off towards the ground. She landed heavily, but she didn't care; she was shaking with rage and hurt. She hated not being good at something, and she hated the fact that someone like Sirius Black could make her feel so bad about herself. Ignoring Liz's cries of 'Lily – wait!' she began to stalk quickly towards the house, her tears threatening to spill at any moment. She was so frustrated that she didn't even notice where she was going, and promptly bumped into someone as she made for the house.

"Woah, watch where you're going, Evans!" said an all-too-familiar voice, and she looked up into the hazel eyes of James Potter, just as his hands quickly stopped her from falling backwards. "Where are you going – the Quidditch field is that way, come on!"

She quickly stepped backwards and shook herself free from his grip. He was absolutely the last person she'd wanted to see. "No, thanks – I don't want to do something I can't," she snapped. She didn't even know why she was being rude to him; he'd just broken her fall, and he'd asked her a simple question. Then she remembered the duel once again, her doubts whether he'd been lying at the time, and she felt angrier than ever.

"Oh, come on – anyone can play Quidditch!" said Potter dismissively, and grabbed her arm. Unsurprised at his firm grip, she shook her arm out of his hand, and said to him dangerously, "Don't tell me what to do, Potter." But before she could say anything else, the others caught up with them.

"Lily!" exclaimed Liz immediately. "Come on – don't get all hot and cross – it's just a game!"

"Tell that to him," she jerked her neck in Black's direction, "He thinks it's a war, no less – he's too stupid to understand that some people aren't good at everything!"

"I only said that you stink at Quidditch," snapped Black, "And tell me, what's false about that? It is what it is!"

Enraged, she yelled at Liz, "See? This is why I didn't want to play! You lot can't keep tempers out of it!"

"It's a bit ironic that you're the one saying it," said Black dryly, but with his eyes narrowed. She rounded on him instead, but before she could say a word, Potter stepped in. "Hey, enough, Sirius. What're the teams you lot are playing with?" Black scowled at his best friend before saying grudgingly, "Hunt, McKinnon and Mary – versus me, Remus, and her." He shot her a glare as he spoke, and she returned it, the tears in her eyes long gone.

"And what's the score?" Potter asked. There was a pause, following which Marlene said, "We're leading – eighty to thirty. First to hundred wins," she added.

Potter seemed to think for a minute. "Well, how about this?" he said finally. "I play with Sirius and Evans, and Remus joins you – we can pick up where you left off." Black looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding, right? It's eighty-thirty – and we were getting hammered before you showed up! Why can't Remus play with us, eh?"

"Because there'll be imbalance," Potter replied promptly. "Have faith, Sirius." Turning to her, he said, "Come on, Evans – let's play!" She glowered at him again. "I thought I was clear before, Potter," she said roughly, "I don't want to play! You lot can have fun!"

"But if you don't play, there are no balanced teams!" Potter exclaimed. "Come on, Evans – play for the rest of us!"

"Yeah, come on, Lily," said Remus mildly, and Mary and Marlene nodded and smiled.

"Please, Lily?" said Liz beseechingly, and that did it. With an exasperated sigh, she said, "I'm going to regret this. Fine, I'll play." Liz and Mary cheered, and they all trooped back to the field.

"I'm warning you, Potter," she addressed him, "I can't play Quidditch – so don't blame me if I let in any more goals. As it is, they're only twenty points away from a win – so there's not really much we can do about it. Incidentally, why did you want to pick up from where we left off? I mean, why not start a new match altogether – with me watching from the sidelines?" she added hopefully. Potter grinned cockily.

"Well – it's like this," he replied, "Imbalance, yes, but starting from thirty to eighty is a bit of a challenge. And challenges – challenges make life interesting." She looked at him in disbelief, and he continued, "Besides, I don't think you need to worry about being a bad Keeper. You're not going to get a chance to even get a hand on the Quaffle!"

Unsure at what he meant, she kicked off from the ground as the game recommenced. Within five minutes, however, she realized why Potter wasn't worried. He was so good – so good, that he scored seven times, bringing the score ninety-eighty in their favour. Black whooped and clapped as Potter scored yet another goal, and with them reaching a hundred points, the game was over. She shook her head dazedly as she made for the ground where Potter and Black were celebrating their win, as the rest of her friends looked on dejectedly; it was as if they didn't know what had hit them.

"That was – brilliant, Potter," she said softly to him, and he grinned lopsidedly. "I _told_ you that you're not going to even get the Quaffle in your hands!" he exclaimed, and held up his hand for an overhead clap; she hesitated, then clapped it with her own. She couldn't help but remember the last time she'd met him – they had both been rude to each other, and it looked like he was ready to bury the hatchet.

"Yes, you did," she agreed, smiling slightly. It felt good to win a game she was an utter mess at, even if it was admittedly through none of her doing. Then again, Quidditch was a team sport, wasn't it?

"Well played, you lot," said a voice from behind them, and she turned around to see Liz and her team standing there. Handshakes followed, and Liz said, "Well, that's why you wanted to join these two, huh, James? You just can't resist showing off!" Potter had the grace to look a little abashed, but his hazel eyes twinkled as he said, "You know me too well, Hunt! And besides – what's the harm in showing off, as long as you're good at something?"

Liz rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, there was a small _crack_ and Minty the house-elf appeared next to them. "Master and Mistress would like Miss Liz and her friends to join them for lunch," said the elf in her high and squeaky voice, bowing to Liz as she spoke. "Right," replied Liz, "Go and tell Mum that we'll be there in twenty minutes, Minty – we're all hot and sweaty, and Mum won't like it if we come to lunch like this, smelling like old dirty socks – especially Black here."

"Hey!" said Black indignantly, just as the elf bowed once more and Disapparated with another _crack_. "I'm not the only one who's sweating! We all played!" Black added, looking at Liz, who stuck her tongue out at him. "Be that as it may, Black, but you sweat the most, and you stink the most, too! What did you have for dinner last night – dead animals?"

Potter and Remus burst into loud laughter as Black spluttered something incoherent. The girls joined in, and Liz slipped her arm around Lily's shoulders. "Come on, then – quick showers – and then lunch!"

Half an hour later, they were all sitting around the huge dining table (Lily suspected that it had been magically expanded; it had certainly not been this big the last time she'd visited Liz). Minty served them delicious food, and they all talked happily as they ate. Lily chanced a look at the adults who were sitting at the other end of the table, where Mr and Mrs Huntington were talking seriously with two strangers, a man and a woman. One look at them told her that they could only be James Potter's parents.

The man was well-built, with untidy black hair that had a few shades of grey. He was jovial-looking but he had a ruggedness about him that indicated severe hardship; she wasn't surprised, considering that he was the Head of the Auror office, and was arguably one of the most powerful people in the Ministry of Magic. She looked at Mrs Potter, who was a slight woman, with kind eyes, shoulder-length brown hair that too, was flecked with grey, and a face completely devoid of wrinkles. She remembered Liz telling her in one of the letters that Mrs Potter was a Healer. _Well, that kind face suits her just fine_ , she thought. _Mum always said that patients always heal quicker when their doctors are nice and kind…_

After lunch, Mr and Mrs Potter began to take their leave. They said hello to all the children, and stopped as they spotted Lily. "Well, dear, I don't believe we've met," said Mrs Potter kindly to her. "So let me guess – if _she's_ Mary –" she glanced sideways to Mary, who smiled at her, "—you must be the Lily Evans our James keeps jabbering about?"

"Mum!" Potter hissed, embarrassed; Mrs Potter smiled genially, and Lily blushed slightly. It wasn't surprising that Mrs Potter knew her name, considering that she and Mary were the only ones amongst of Potter's friends there who hadn't met his parents, and Mrs Potter had already met Mary. What had Potter said about her, though?

Shaking the hand extended towards her, Lily replied shyly, "Pleased to meet you, Mrs Potter." She noted that James had inherited his mother's hazel eyes, but Mrs Potter's gaze was gentler and more caring. Mr Potter held out his hand to her as well, and said, "James talks about you all the time," he said, and she blushed as she shook his hand. "You partnered him in that Defence project, didn't you? James did say that you two won first prize mainly because of your hard work."

"Er – it wasn't just me," she said, colouring up even more, giving a sideways glance towards Potter, who was determinedly avoiding her eyes. "Potter – er, James, that is – he's much better at actually _using_ spells than me, and he was the one who taught me all of those Jinxes –"

"Did he, now?" said Mrs Potter, with a knowing gaze at her son. "You didn't tell us that particular bit, Jamie…"

"Mum!" Potter said again, his expression a little piteous, and Black laughed. Beside her, she could see that Liz and Marlene were trying (and failing) to hide a fit of giggles, while Mary was looking at Potter sympathetically. She could relate to Potter's chagrin; parents calling children by their nicknames, in front of their friends, was always discomforting.

"Well, we must get going," said Mr Potter promptly. "It was a pleasure to meet you all again – and it was an even bigger pleasure to make your acquaintances, Mary – and Lily." She nodded and smiled at Potter's father. "Keep our James in check, OK?" Mrs Potter said, looking at her in particular. "He has a tendency to get into trouble –"

"Mum – weren't you just leaving?" said Potter, his face redder than ever with embarrassment, and Mrs Potter laughed. "Yes, yes dear – we're leaving," she said soothingly, before turning to Mr and Mrs Huntington and saying, "Margaret – Rick – always a pleasure. We'll be in touch." Mr and Mrs Huntington waved, and Potter's parents stepped into the fireplace and vanished.

"Don't pay attention to whatever Mum says," said Potter immediately, looking at them all. "She has a tendency to ramble…"

"Whatever you say, Jamie," said Liz, and they all burst into laughter as Potter flushed crimson. _This is going to be fun_ , thought Lily mischievously…

They spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean, and later that evening they all had a cookout on the beach. After a barbecue involving chicken burgers, sausages and ham sandwiches, they all settled over the beach, resting by the side of the ocean and gazing silently at orange evening sky. Liz and Marlene opted to make a sandcastle, and Remus joined them. Black criticized the castle as unattractive, which prompted Liz to challenge him to build a better one; Mary agreed to help him, resulting in some sort of competition. She and Potter were appointed judges, and opted to watch from the sidelines as the sky began to darken around them. Pretty soon, they could see stars, but the castles were only halfway done; Mr and Mrs Huntington then consented to allow everyone to spend the night on the beach, which led to Liz and the others working with even more intensity. After a while, she began to get bored, and by the looks of it, Potter was bored, too.

"I'm going for a walk," he said, suddenly turning to her, "I can't sit still for so long. Want to come?"

She hesitated; she was bored, too, but she was wary of Potter. They had both shouted at each other the last time they'd met, and yet – today, he had played in her team, won her a match, and she'd also made acquaintance of his parents, who seemed nice enough. What was the harm in going for a small walk on the beach with him?

"OK," she said, and got up, "But not too far – it's dark."

"'Course not, Evans," he said easily, and even in the dark his eyes seemed to twinkle like the stars above them. They began to walk towards the water, away from the two sandcastles.

She had to ask him what he'd told his mother about her, she simply _had_ to. What had he said which could result in his mother saying such nice things about her? Had he really told his parents that she had been responsible for the theory part of their project? _Well, that's true_ , said the small voice at the back of her head. _But then… All you've done is bad-mouth him in front of your parents, talking about his arrogant and bullying ways… Did you tell your parents how he taught you all those Jinxes? No, you didn't…_ She felt slightly ashamed of herself. There was more, much more to him than met the eye, there was no doubt about it…

"What did you say to your Mum about me, Potter?" she blurted out.

Even in the relative darkness she could see him blush. "Oh, it's nothing," he said gruffly, "Like I said before, Mum has a tendency to ramble – don't read too much into it, Evans."

Not satisfied, she pressed him again. "Did you really tell your parents that I did all the – er, hard work?" she asked, and he sighed. "Yeah," he said shortly. It seemed from his tone that he didn't want to discuss it… And yet, he added, "It's true, after all – so what's the harm in telling the truth?"

"Easy there," she said; there was a slight edge to his voice, and she didn't want them to start shouting at each other. "Thanks," she added lamely, and he shrugged. "Whatever," he said shortly once again.

She looked at his face, frowning. Even in the dim light of the half-moon, she could see that his brow was clouded. Well, he had been the one to suggest the walk, hadn't he? So why was he being so sour now? "Is there something in particular that you wanted to talk to me about, Potter?" she inquired.

It looked like he was debating whether to ask her or not; finally, he turned to her and burst out, "Why didn't you believe me?"

Completely thrown, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. Believe you, when?"

"You know," he said brusquely, "That – that day. When you and I duelled each other with Sirius and – and _Snivellus_." He spat out the last word, and she felt her temper rise. "Don't call him that," she snapped, but he waved his hand dismissively. "I don't understand you, Evans. Why would you ever think we were lying to you? Why didn't you stop to consider that he attacked us first?"

She paused. It was a valid question, after all; she had had only Severus's word that he'd been the one to get attacked by Potter and Black. She remembered her indecision, and the earnest expression in Potter's eyes as he'd spoken to her, imploring her to believe him… Aloud, she said, "Look, Potter – history is against you – you've always attacked Severus with your friends – especially with Black, whom I can't stand at all – so why would you think I'd believe you before Sev?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "Because I haven't lied to you, Evans. I never lied when we worked on our project together, I never lied about my feelings towards Sniv – Snape. Why would I lie to you then? I'm not a coward – I don't need to lie to save my skin – unlike your so-called _friend_ ," he added with a sneer. "Git," he spat, and she felt her temper rise once again.

"Look, Potter – he's my friend, so why would he lie to me?" she asked, fighting to keep the irritation out of her voice. Potter looked at her as though she were mad.

"Because – he is a _git_! He's a lying, cowardly, slime mould, and he will say and do anything to save his miserable skin!" he burst out loudly, and she struggled to contain her anger. He was really making it difficult, insulting Severus again and again.

Potter seemed to regret his loss of temper. "Look, I don't know why you are friends with him, it is none of my business. But because you are friends with Liz and Remus, I feel that it's my duty to tell you. _Be careful regarding Snape_. If he can lie to you so convincingly, he can do a lot more damage to you… And I'm looking out for my friends here – and for you, as well. Be wary of him."

She stared at him, astonished. Did he know something about Severus that she didn't? She couldn't understand him; one minute he was this noble, chivalrous and loyal person, and the next he was an arrogant bully who had nothing good to say about one of her best friends. Nevertheless, she said sardonically, "I think I know Severus better than you, Potter. So I don't think there is anything shifty about him."

Potter shrugged. "Suit yourself. But don't say that I didn't warn you."

She felt uneasy once again. What did he mean by that?

"Now, come on – I think the others are done by now, so let's go back," suggested Potter, and not sorry for an excuse to not have his company any more, she nodded and followed him back to the sandcastles. After ten minutes of careful judging, she and Potter announced Liz and her group as winners, telling Black that there was a close competition only because of Mary's artistic talent; otherwise, Liz's group would have won hands down. They settled onto the mattresses atop the soft sand, and tired with the day's activities, they all fell asleep rather quickly, except Lily… She lay awake for at least an hour more, thinking about what Potter had said. What was it about Severus that irked these boys? Why were they so mean to him?

They all woke late on Sunday morning, and one by one, everyone except Lily left, thanking Mr and Mrs Huntington for a wonderful weekend. Lily remained; she was going to stay there until the end of the summer holidays, and take the train with Liz and her parents. She decided to speak to Liz about what she thought of Potter's words, as soon as they were alone…

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"We're almost there," Liz announced. Lily looked out of the compartment window to realize that her friend was right; there was a dark shape straight ahead, dark against the reddish evening sky. She felt a supreme pang of happiness: it was her home away from home, and she was at Hogwarts once again…

She reflected upon the last week at Liz's. She'd wasted no time in telling Liz what Potter had told her, and her best friend had agreed with his assessment of Severus; Liz, too, felt that they should be wary of him. Lily had tried to defend Severus, but Liz had cut across her by saying that just like she had Severus's word about what had really happened that day, Liz herself had the word of Potter and Black, who were _her_ friends. Liz had concluded by saying that because they only had the word of only their friends, they were at an impasse, and that it would be better to not discuss it until they had more concrete evidence from either side. Lily had grudgingly agreed.

Following the debacle with the Quidditch game, Lily had begged Liz to teach her a few basics of flying, so that she wouldn't make such a fool of herself the next time they all played. Liz had nodded sympathetically, and all week, she had trained Lily with a few basic moves such that until the end of the week, Lily could at least say with conviction that she no longer lacked the confidence to fly on a broomstick. "Well, you're no Catherine Harmison," said Liz one day (Catherine Harmison was apparently a Chaser of such prodigious talent that the Holyhead Harpies had signed her for the first team itself, just after she'd graduated at the end of last year), "But you'll be fine when we play next time." Her heart had lightened considerably when her friend had said that.

They had departed from London at eleven o'clock that morning, and had spent most of the day discussing the war; Lily had noted that there had been a lull in the attacks for the time being, and had wondered if it was because of the new law that had been passed last year. Liz had seconded that reasoning, and Marlene had provided some more information: her Dad had been on a top-secret mission that had ended in victory for them, which was a clear setback for the dark side. Marlene had overheard this in a conversation her Dad had had with her Mum. A little relieved, Lily hoped that the Ministry would win the war one day.

An hour later they were all seated at the Gryffindor table. She waved to Severus as she saw him head to the Slytherin table on the far side of the room; he waved back, a smile on his thin face. She hadn't been able to meet him on the train that day, but she was hoping that they could sit together and study starting from this week itself. She looked up at the staff table and saw two unfamiliar faces; a petite witch with elbow-length blond hair, and another strongly-built witch with a greying hair and a hard expression.

Professor McGonagall led a long line of first-years into the Hall, just as Potter, Black and Peter took seats ahead of them. Potter at once sent a cocky smile in her direction. "All right, Evans?" he asked, and she nodded to him curtly before turning away and engaging Mark in conversation instead.

Professor McGonagall began to shoot scorching looks at various talking students, and all chatter ceased. The Sorting Hat burst into a new song, warning them about the dangers that lay outside the castle and imploring them to remain united. The Sorting ceremony began with "Ackerman, Charles!" who was sorted into Gryffindor; Lily and the others clapped loudly as Charles Ackerman joined their table. He grinned broadly as he took his place.

"Black, Regulus!"

Lily's attention immediately went back to the Sorting Hat as she heard the familiar name, and the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" A black-haired boy walked off to the Slytherin table, looking a little unsure of himself. His resemblance to Sirius Black was uncanny, so she immediately asked Black, "You never mentioned your brother was joining this year – you never even mentioned you had a brother!"

He said, "I don't see why it's your business, Evans – and besides, Reg is a complete Mummy's boy, always more obedient to my parents – he believes in their philosophy of blood purity, the idiot." Lily nodded slowly; there was more anguish than anger in Black's tone, and it was obvious to her the Black and his brother must have been closer when they were younger, and Black getting Sorted in Gryffindor would have been one of the reasons his relationship with his family deteriorated. Well, she could certainly relate; she too had annoying family members, though admittedly her parents loved her very much. She turned her attention back to the Sorting, just as "Martin, Donald!" became a Gryffindor. She clapped again as Donald Martin joined them; he was a tall boy, with brown hair and blue eyes full of mischief. "This is grand!" he said, examining the gold forks and spoons in front of him. "Mum and Dad still think this is a dream – so I better send them a letter by owl just to reassure them that it is real!"

"Are your parents Muggles, then?" Liz asked him immediately, and he nodded. "That's right… Professor McGonagall came to my house herself a few months ago. Said I'd be coming here… Believe me, I'm not sorry to leave my old school, I was in trouble every week – I couldn't explain how some _odd_ stuff went down around me, see? But then Professor McGonagall explained why," he added, beaming. "I'm sure she did," said Liz, grinning back at him.

In front of her, Potter groaned, "Hurry up – I'm hungry!" She shook her head as the Sorting continued; a few more students joined them. Finally, "Yves, Bernard!" became a Hufflepuff, and the Sorting ceased. Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and the stool away, before returning to the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome, new students! Welcome back, old students! Let the feast begin!"

"Yeah, that's it!" shouted Black as the plates in front of them filled with food. She ate hungrily, talking to Mark and Jane about how their respective summers had been. Finally, as the last bits of pudding cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up once again. "We have a few more announcements before you all march off to bed. I am pleased to welcome two new teachers this year – first, please welcome Professor Emily Walcott, who has agreed to fill our vacant Defence Against the Dark Arts position." The petite blond haired witch stood up and gave a tiny wave; Lily could see that she was rather beautiful, with high cheekbones and clear-cut features. Liz nudged her and whispered, "Look at Potter and Black!" She obeyed, and was astonished to see them stare at the new teacher with open mouths and unfocused eyes; it looked like they were ogling her. "Hey – she's years older than you two, so no doing anything stupid!" Marlene hissed at them, and they turned to her, still looking dazed. Peter giggled, and Potter said, "Wow – she is a looker, that one!"

"She must also be a brilliant witch – or else why would Dumbledore ask her to teach?" Liz said firmly, just as the Headmaster continued, indicating the hard-faced witch, "And this is Madam Roberta Brenner, who will be taking flying lessons and refereeing all Quidditch matches – until Madam Hooch returns from her year-long break to be the assistant coach for the Appleby Arrows. Please welcome them with a round of applause!"

As everyone clapped, Lily felt a pang of excitement. _Two new teachers_ , she thought… In any case, _I will have nothing to do with one…_ She hoped that this year would be even better than the other two, and that she'd be able to realize her objectives at last…

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	22. Chapter 21

Thanks for the reviews, KG, jily, harry and Potter. You all rock!

Hello all, here is chapter twenty-one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 **A long first day**

"How exciting, we're starting some new subjects today," said Lily cheerfully as she put some jam on her toast. It was the first day back, and she was excited. "Speak for yourself – I'd rather sleep an extra hour than attend class at nine o'clock in the morning," yawned Marlene. "I hope this tea wakes me up, though – it's the first day back, and I don't want detention for sleeping in class."

"You're really not a morning person, are you?" Lily grinned at her friend, who said irritably, "Oh, gosh, Lil – what was your first clue?" Liz and Mary laughed, and Lily blushed a little. "Come on – it isn't such a bad morning," she said bracingly. "We have Divination first – then Care of Magical Creatures – followed by Transfiguration in the afternoon – and then Defence!"

"So, essentially, a typical Monday – long, _really_ long," Liz groaned. "I wish we had Arithmancy, though – would've been fun!"

"What do you have when we have Divination, Liz?" Mary asked. "You're not taking it, are you?"

"Nah," said Liz, "Mum and Dad both said that it was a lot of woolly guesswork when I told them over the summer; they were pretty happy that I'd decided to not take it. It was probably the first time they agreed on something," she added dryly, and everyone laughed. "So, when you lot go to Divination, I've got a free period… And when you've got the next period free, I've got Ancient Runes – then I'll join you all later for Care of Magical Creatures!" she said.

Marlene frowned. "Didn't Remus say he was taking all these subjects himself? Poor bloke – he isn't even here yet; he's going to miss all the new classes, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Lily said, "But he asked me to lend him my notes from Divination and Care of Magical Creatures – and Liz is going to take care of his Ancient Runes notes – Remus isn't stupid, he'll catch up!" The others nodded and Mary said thoughtfully, "Wonder why he's late, though? Is it his Mum again?"

"Yep," said Lily sympathetically. "Poor bloke – it's so sad!" The others nodded solemnly. Presently, they soon got up, bade goodbye to Liz (who was going to take a walk around the castle by herself), and began to walk towards the Divination classroom. "It's room fifty-three – third floor," said Marlene, "We should hurry – it's only a few minutes to nine!" They almost ran towards the classroom and managed to arrive before the professor. Panting, Lily looked around; she saw that the seats were all occupied with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws; apparently, they'd be having this class together. She spied Potter, Black and Peter sitting near the back of the classroom, talking boisterously. The moment they spotted her, Potter's face split into the usual lopsided smirk; he waved to her enthusiastically, and she acknowledged his greeting with a curt nod of her own. Peter gave them a tentative wave, and she waved back, smiling at him. He returned her grin nervously. Black she ignored completely. She sat with Mary and Marlene together at a table right in front of the teacher's desk.

At that very moment, the professor walked into the classroom. She was an old witch with hair white as snow. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and with a wrinkled face and thin stature, she looked rather forbidding. However, she smiled genially at the students; close up, Lily recognized her as a witch she'd seen occasionally at meal times, and even passed once or twice in the corridors.

"Good morning, class," she said softly, and yet, her voice seemed to carry to every nook and cranny of the class. Like Professor McGonagall, this teacher seemed to have the gift of effortlessly keeping a class quiet; every eye was on her as she said, "My name is Professor Helena Presprechen. You may not have seen me before; I scarcely venture out of this classroom – there is a door behind that wall, leading to a room which serves as my living quarters."

She moved closer to the students and continued, "Now – you all shall embark upon the study of the mystic art of Divination – to foretell the future by various rituals. Come on, now – open your books to pages five and six… Let's get started…"

Lily opened her copy of _Unfogging the Future_. She'd bought all her new books from Flourish and Blotts, having gone to Diagon Alley during the last week of the holidays along with Liz; she had refilled her Potions kit too, before stopping by at the Eeylops Owl Emporium to pick up a bunch of Owl Treats for Cavana, her owl. "Divide yourself up in pairs, children," Professor Presprechen's soft voice bade them. Marlene and Mary were obviously going to pair together, which meant that she would have to find a partner; she looked all around the classroom before her eyes met Peter's; apparently, Black and Potter would be working together. He looked at her, his gaze nervously expectant, and when she bade him to join her, his face split into a relieved smile as he made his way towards her.

"Now, collect a teacup from this table," the professor said, and waved her wand; immediately, a table appeared next to her own as if out of nowhere. A second wave of her wand resulted in a number of identical teacups and saucers appearing on the table. Impressed, everyone began to walk towards the teacups just as the professor summoned a kettle out of nowhere. "Come to me – I will fill your cups with tea," she said, and one by one, the students acted as she bade them. When everyone's cups were filled, she said, "Good. Now, drink the tea until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. Interpret the patterns using pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future_. I shall be helping and instructing. Now come on – let's get on with it."

She drank the boiling hot tea carefully, sitting there silently with Peter, who whispered, "Thanks for partnering me, Lily." She smiled and said, "It could only be this one time, Peter… Remus will be here next class onwards, so you'll mostly go with him, won't you?" Peter smiled nervously and said, "Yeah, maybe. But even that Ravenclaw girl – Melissa Knight, I think it was – she's not here either, so you won't be devoid of a partner."

She was surprised. "You know _everyone_ who's taking this class?" she asked, and he went pink. "Well, Sirius told me," he said, "And Sirius knows all the classes the pretty girls have with us…"

 _Figures_ , Lily thought, a little angrily. _Stupid, arrogant Black…_

As soon as they finished drinking their tea, they did as they were instructed. "I'll go first, shall I?" Lily asked Peter, who nodded. She took his cup and looked at the dregs, trying to identify if they resembled some sort of shape. It was a soggy mass of brown, but she could make out a longish tail-like portion that extended away from the bulk of the dregs. Was it a tail or a blade of grass? Deciding to go with the latter, she consulted the book before saying, "Er – grass, Peter – it means –" she consulted the book, "—healing – so it may mean that you might, er, need healing from an injury or illness of some sort…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at his face, which was suddenly scared. "I may be wrong, of course," she added quickly.

"Er – ok," he said, as Professor Presprechen arrived next to their table. "Right, let's see you try, Mr Pettigrew," she said expectantly. Peter clutched Lily's cup nervously before examining it and saying, "Er – there's a shape here – looks like a hill or a mountain – which means –" he looked at his book, "—you may attain a peak, a zenith, even…"

Professor Presprechen sighed from next to him. "Give me that, dear," she said, a little impatiently. Peter obediently handed over Lily's cup to the professor, who began to examine it, a slight frown on her face. "Hmm – there is what looks like a range of mountains here, dear, not a solitary one," she said to Peter reprovingly. "And what is this? A club – an attack." She looked once at Lily, who felt a chill; what did she mean? An attack?

Professor Presprechen turned the cup a little more. "This is an ear of corn – signifies gold," she said in her soft voice. "And this range of mountains – it looks more like a crown – that means, dear –" she looked at Lily with her piercing blue eyes, and Lily couldn't look away, "—you have an attack in your path, dear – beware of the golden crown," she finished, her voice softer than ever; yet it still seemed to carry to every corner of the class.

Lily smiled nervously. "Thank you, Professor," was all she said, though. Professor Presprechen nodded and went over to help some other students, but Lily was still a little unnerved. Beware of the golden crown? What did it mean?

Professor Presprechen set them homework to find out what a number of shapes in tea dregs meant, so Lily decided to spend her free period in the library. She therefore bade goodbye to Marlene, Mary, and a still-nervous Peter, before setting off on the familiar path to the library. Her thoughts were still on what Professor Presprechen had said, and she didn't realize that there was something happening in the passage up ahead until she was right behind a small crowd of people.

"That's right – move along, now," said a deep voice, with a distinctly different accent. Who could that be? She hastened ahead, pushing through the crowd, until she saw a tall boy helping a sobbing girl to her feet. Up close, Lily recognized Melissa Knight. Hadn't she missed the Divination class? "Melissa!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to the girl's other side. "Are you all right?" Around her, everyone else started to disperse.

"Are you her friend?" the tall boy asked her. He was black, with short hair and dark brown eyes. His was a lean and muscular frame, and the green-and-silver a badge on his robes, as well as his green tie stripped with black, told her that he was a Slytherin prefect. "Um, not a friend, exactly," she said, a little warily; the senior Slytherins had a reputation of being unpleasant. And yet, this prefect had apparently rescued Melissa Knight, whom Lily knew to be a fellow Muggleborn.

"OK," said the boy, "What's your name?"

"Lily Evans," she said, her voice a little stronger. The boy raised his eyebrows, but other than that, he gave no sign that he'd recognized her to be a Muggleborn, too.

"All right, Lily Evans," said the boy, "Stand back – I'm going to help this girl here. Don't worry – it won't hurt a bit," he added to Melissa, who nodded bravely, her eyes still full of tears. Lily watched curiously as the boy pointed his wand at Melissa's wrist and said, " _Ferula_." Bandages spun up Melissa's wrist, strapping it tightly to a splint. He turned back to Lily and said, "Now, Lily Evans – come with me – unless you have class?" She shook her head no, and began to help Melissa; the Ravenclaw girl's face looked a little less ashen as Lily placed her good arm across her own shoulders. The tall boy continued, "Good. Let us take her to the Hospital Wing – I'll come along to make sure no one attacks her – or you." She felt glad to hear it; clearly, this boy seemed to be one of the decent Slytherins – just like Andromeda… And Severus…

"What happened?" she asked him. He shrugged. "I saw a couple of fifth-years from my House attack her," he said, his tone even. "So I came to break it up, and sent them on their way. Her left wrist seemed to be broken, though, so I just bandaged it – I don't want to take any chances mending bones, y'know… What if I do it wrong?"

She nodded in agreement. "She seemed fine against those wiseguys, though," said the boy, and Lily was suddenly able to place his accent; he spoke similarly as the characters from The Wizard of Oz, a rather old movie she'd watched and loved during the summer holidays. It was an American accent, no doubt… The boy continued, "I mean, she held her own – one of those dummies was hit by an Impediment Jinx, and gave him a nosebleed too, but the other one got her – I don't know what spell he used, but it seemed like she collapsed from the pain – that's when I came, and I sent those clowns on their way at once, but not before giving them detention."

"How do you know they were attacking her for being a Muggleborn?" she asked the boy curiously, and Melissa whimpered a little. "Hey, it's OK, we'll be there in a bit," she said the girl soothingly, and Melissa gave her a weak smile, whispering, "Thanks." Lily looked at the prefect, who said dryly, "You see, it's rather hard not to notice – if they shout out 'Mudblood', isn't it?" She nodded disgustedly, making a face.

"Personally, I don't get this bulls – I mean, nonsense," he corrected himself quickly. "How does it matter what people one's parents are, so long as they have magical abilities?" Lily whirled sideways to face him. "Exactly! I don't understand it, either!" She was gratified that the boy shared her opinion in spite of being in Slytherin.

"It's utter crap, if you ask me," said the boy. "My parents came here from the States when I was nine – Dad got a job in the British branch of his company, so we all moved – then when I got this letter on my eleventh birthday, I was shocked! But then Mom comes and says, 'Yes, honey, you've got magical abilities!' I was like, 'What in the world is going on?' Then Mom explained the whole thing, and Hogwarts… She herself attended Ilvermorny – that's the magic school in the USA – but she said I could go here, because apparently – it is better!"

"Wow," said Lily, drinking all of this information in. "So – what's your name?" she asked him. He grinned. "Oh, yeah – we forgot that courtesy. The name's Marcus Arnold. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," said Lily. "I'm glad you're over the prejudice that Muggleborns in the Wizarding world get from people of 'pure' bloodlines." She placed undue emphasis on 'pure', and he grinned. "Yep. I find it real stupid, to be honest. There are some nasty pieces of work in Slytherin, though – Weston, for one – and Bernard Travers, too – they're both in my year, and they always mock me for being what they call a half-blood. I mean, _half-blood_? Seriously? Come up with something better, why don't you?"

Lily laughed. She was starting to warm up to the handsome seventh-year; he seemed a lot kinder than the usual stereotypical Slytherin. Perhaps as a result of being looked down upon due to his half-blood status, he could empathize with her a bit more…

"We're here," he announced, and she was at the Hospital Wing. "So, is it OK if I leave you here? You can find your way back without getting into trouble, right?" he said teasingly, and she smiled. "Of course. Thank you, Marcus – for standing up to those bullies – it means a lot," she added, her words coming out in a rush. Marcus grinned. "Don't mention it, Lily," he said with a grin. Waving to her, he said, "Gotta go now – later! And you – best avoid those jokers from now on," he added to Melissa, who nodded gratefully and said, "Thanks, Marcus." Lily waved back at him as he turned the corner and disappeared from view.

"Wow," said Lily, "You don't see a friendly Slytherin so often, do you?"

"Nah," said Melissa, her voice stronger than before. "Thanks for helping me out, Lily."

"Anytime," said Lily warmly. "Now come on – let's get you in there."

They trooped into the Hospital Wing, and as soon as they'd taken about ten steps, a voice called, "What is it?" It was an unfamiliar voice, but it was surprisingly mellifluous. Lily turned her head in the direction where it had come from, and spied a witch with waist-length auburn hair and wearing a matron's uniform hurrying towards them. She had a pleasant face and kind grey-blue eyes; she looked no older than twenty-five. She was tall and graceful, and she helped Lily get Melissa into the nearest bed.

"Now, now, what is the problem here?" she asked Melissa gently, before holding her wrist in her own hands. "I see – this appears to be broken…" She immediately whipped out her wand and whispered, " _Consanesco!_ " Melissa's wrist appeared to heal immediately, for the Ravenclaw girl caressed it gingerly before smiling at the person who had healed her. A second wave of the witch's wand resulted in the bandages coming off, leaving Melissa's wrist back to its fully-healed, original state.

Impressed, Lily said, "That was a nice spell! Who are you?" The tall witch grinned and said, "My name is Joan Whitney. I'm a Healer from St Mungo's, here to help Madam Pomfrey." Lily nodded, but she couldn't fathom why Madam Pomfrey would need an assistant. Joan Whitney turned to Melissa and asked, "Does that feel better, sweetheart?"

"Yes, thank you so much, Madam Whitney," Melissa said gratefully, and the Healer shuddered. "Please don't call me that," she said, "Call me Joan – it makes me feel a lot less old." Lily smiled; whatever the reason she was here, Joan Whitney seemed to be rather cool. Joan ran a quick check-up over Melissa and said, "You're fine – you can attend all your classes, or you stay in here for the rest of the day if you like, I don't mind."

"Oooh, no – thanks, Joan," said Melissa, "If I'm fine enough to attend classes, may I go, please? I've missed two so far, and I don't want to miss any more." _Spoken like a true Ravenclaw_ , thought Lily, a slight smile on her face. Joan grinned and said, "You seem to be a Ravenclaw – and I did _not_ realize that from the colour of your tie," she added, and Lily laughed. They introduced themselves to the Healer, who smiled and bade them goodbye, and they exited the Hospital Wing quickly.

Melissa had to go for Transfiguration, so after thanking Lily profusely once again, she hurried off. Lily began to walk towards the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures, arriving just in time to see everyone standing in a semi-circle around an old wizard who was extremely odd-looking. He was more than six feet tall, with white hair and piercing black eyes. His mouth seemed to be set in a permanent snarl, until Lily observed that it seemed so because of the number of scars on his mouth. He had only one hand; the other hand hung rigidly to his side, which indicated that it was prosthetic. She felt apprehensive; surely this Professor hadn't suffered his injuries while teaching, had he?

"Gather around," said the Professor loudly. "My name is Professor Kettleburn. Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures. In this class, you'll be learning, as the name suggests, to take care of various creatures we encounter in the Magical world – to name a few, Hippogriffs, Knarls, Kneazles, Crups and Salamanders – but today, we start small." He waved his wand and a crate appeared in front of him. "You will need your gloves," he instructed, and there was a scramble as everyone hastened to remove their gloves from their bags and wear them.

"Where were you?" Liz hissed as she wore her own gloves. "I'll explain later," Lily hissed back, and looked around; with a rush of displeasure, she realized that the unfamiliar students were from Slytherin. It appeared as if they would be having their classes with the Slytherins; the only silver lining for Lily was the presence of Severus. Indeed, her eyes found him talking to Rosier; he looked in her direction at that very moment, and waved at her animatedly. She waved back, smiling; she saw Rosier's mouth curl into a sneer, and gave him a cold look before turning back to Professor Kettleburn.

"Right," he said, "So, for our first lesson – we'll be studying – Flobberworms." He opened the crate, and Lily recoiled; lying in the crate were about a hundred fat worms, each one about ten inches long and brown in colour. "Flobberworms have two mouths, one at each end," said Professor Kettleburn, "So that they can eat more. They are herbivores – they eat vegetation, and lettuce is their favourite food. Be warned, though – too much of food can kill it. Now, for this lesson, everyone must take a Flobberworm and feed it some lettuce. That's all – now, come on – get to work!"

It wasn't as bad as she'd imagined. True, the Flobberworms were slimy, but they weren't so bad; rather, they seemed to enjoy having lettuce shoved down their throats. She and Liz sat together, and while their Flobberworms happily chewed on the leaves in front of them, Lily filled Liz in on that morning's Divination lesson.

"And she said that I should beware of the golden crown," finished Lily. "I mean, what does that even mean? Are there kings or queens or princes in the Wizarding world? Or is a crown another name for Galleons? Muggle currency does have half-crowns –"

Liz snorted. "No, there aren't any wizarding kings or queens or any such royalty. And no, Galleons aren't called crowns or shields or swords or any such thing. That's why I didn't take Divination, see? I feel it's a lot of hokum. Very woolly…"

"But she said _beware_! What did she mean?" Lily exclaimed. Liz's sea-green eyes softened.

"Don't read too much into it, Lil," she said comfortingly. "I'm sure it means nothing."

Not entirely satisfied, Lily nodded nonetheless. The bell rang half an hour later, so Professor Kettleburn sent them off, explaining that they wouldn't get any homework today, but he would be giving them homework after their next lesson. Lily and the others hurried towards the Great Hall for lunch, where she found a familiar brown-haired figure already sitting at the Gryffindor table.

"Remus!" she explained, and the boy turned around, smiling. He looks a little pale and haggard; presumably because his mother, thought Lily sympathetically. "When did you get here?"

"Just half an hour ago," he said. "Hello, everyone!" he added to the other girls, who responded with greetings of their own. Soon, Potter and his gang arrived, and they exchanged enthusiastic greetings with Remus as soon as they spotted him.

"We've got a great idea for a prank, mate –"

"It's smashing! You're going to like it –"

"We'll mostly do it at the end of the first week, though, not now –"

Liz rolled her eyes at the boys' talk, but Lily felt a little apprehensive. What did they have in mind? She hoped that they weren't going to go after Severus again…

After lunch, the Gryffindors trooped to Transfiguration. That year, no other House would be having Transfiguration or DADA with them; they would be the only ones. Professor McGonagall began their class with a discussion about Animagi (wizards and witches who could transform themselves into an animal of their choice at will), an extremely difficult process that was one of the core areas of Transfiguration. She then transformed herself into a tabby cat, with the square markings around her eyes similar to her glasses. Impressed, Lily and the rest of the class applauded the Professor, and Potter actually shouted from the back, "Nice one, Minnie!"

The applause died at once, and Lily and Liz exchanged shocked looks. Professor McGonagall wasn't someone you should cross; she didn't take tomfoolery of any sort kindly. Lily watched apprehensively as the tabby cat turned back into Professor McGonagall, and wasn't surprised to see the Transfiguration teacher's nostrils flaring.

"What did you just call me, Potter?"

"Minnie," said Potter, without a shade of fear or embarrassment. "Come on, now, don't get all hot and cross – Mum called you that when you came to our house for dinner last month, didn't she?"

Scandalized, Lily looked back at the teacher. How could she let anyone talk to her like that?

Professor McGonagall's beady eyes narrowed, and she said, "That is what your mother can call me, Potter – not _you_. Detention, today evening, my office," she said, and Potter's mouth opened in protest. "Say another word, and it'll be detention for a week. I do not take cheek from anyone, boy – remember that well." Potter sat down looking rather mutinous, and Lily hid a fit of giggles behind her palms. _The idiot_ , she thought gleefully.

After Transfiguration was their last class of the day; Defence Against the Dark Arts. Lily was looking forward to it; after Professor Whiteman's departure, she wasn't sure if the new teacher would equal him in teaching abilities, and she wanted to see for herself how good this teacher was.

The Gryffindors entered the classroom, and seated themselves onto the benches behind the desks. Lily removed her textbook just as the teacher entered the classroom, and just as it had during the start-of-term banquet, all the boys in the class stared at their new professor as she made her way up to the front of the class, carrying a little crate. Close up, she looked even prettier than she had looked at the feast; her hair was casually wrapped up in a ponytail, her brown eyes were soft as a doe's, and her face seemed to be set in a permanent pleasant expression. Lily noticed that she had walked with a slight limp, and that she seemed to put more weight on her right foot than her left.

"Good afternoon, class," she said, and even her voice seemed to be musical. "Good afternoon, Professor," everyone murmured. The professor grinned. "Well, well – you lot seem to be tired, what with all the classes you've had before this one! Tell me, who went for Divination?"

There was a pause, following which everyone apart from Liz and Remus raised their hands. Professor Walcott's grin widened. "All right! Now, which one of you can tell me – with a straight face, that is – that Professor Presprechen's eyes don't scare you – even a little bit?" Everyone laughed, and Lily could sort of see what the Professor meant; the Divination teacher's piercing blue eyes had indeed seemed a little sinister.

"All right," said Professor Walcott briskly, "My name is Professor Emily Walcott – you'd know that if you'd paid attention at the start-of-term feast." A titter of laughter echoed across the class. The professor added, "You can put your books away – today, we'll be having a practical lesson." There was a pause, following which the students who had bothered to take out their books replaced them in their bags. "Professor Whiteman wrote to me about this class," continued Professor Walcott, "It seems that you lot know how to cast minor Jinxes – is that correct?" There was a collective nod, and the teacher grinned. "All right, then – this year, we will be studying dark creatures. I will be teaching you how to identify – and defend yourselves against dark creatures. I'm going to start with what's called a – Boggart." She pointed to the crate next to her, which shook slightly.

"Now, come and stand here – next to me," said the professor, and everyone obeyed. Professor Walcott waved her wand, and the benches and desks went to one corner of the classroom, leaving an open space in the centre. She set the crate down in the middle of the room and sat on it, facing the students. "Right, now introduce yourselves – one by one." She listened attentively to each of their names, and once they were all done, she said, "Good – very good. Now – who can tell me what a Boggart is?"

Several hands shot up in the air at once, and Lily tried desperately to remember what it was. She couldn't, and the Professor said, "Yes – Mr Lupin."

"It is a shape-shifter," said Remus earnestly. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Five points to Gryffindor," said Professor Walcott appreciatively. "That is correct, Mr Lupin. Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. The Boggart in this crate is yet to assume any sort of form. It does not yet know what will frighten the person that it encounters. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when it is alone, but when I let it out, it will immediately assume the form of whatever each of us most fears – something tangible, that is, not something abstract. So – can anyone tell me why it is best to have company when one is dealing with a Boggart? How about you, Miss Evans?" The professor addressed her directly.

A little thrown, she thought logically nevertheless and said, "It won't know what to become – because we all fear different things – right?" The professor smiled and said, "Very good, Miss Evans. Five points to Gryffindor. Now – the Charm that is used against the Boggart – it's rather easy. After me, please – _Riddikulus!_ "

" _Riddikulus!_ " said everyone together. "Good," said the professor, "And now, as you perform this Charm, you must be mentally very strong – strong enough to force the boggart to take a shape that you will find amusing instead of frightening. Understand?" Everyone nodded, and next to her, Liz looked a little excited.

"All right, then," said the professor, and rose from the crate. "Now – let's take a minute to figure out what scares us all, and how to make it comical." Everyone shut their eyes, and Lily tried to remember what scared her the most. It was easy – she hated reptiles, lizards in particular. When they had been younger, her cousin Matthew had set a lizard upon her once, and from that day onwards, seeing a lizard would be enough make her run in the opposite direction. Thankfully, she hadn't encountered one in Hogwarts yet. How would she make one less frightening? She cast her mind around, until an idea came to her. She grinned inwardly.

"OK – is everyone ready?" asked Professor Walcott, and she nodded along with the rest of the class. "Good," said the teacher, "Now, who wants to go first? How about you, Peter?" Peter looked afraid, but Potter gave him a gentle push, and he walked forward with a determined sort of look on his face. "If Peter is successful, I believe everyone can get a turn. Are you ready, Peter?" she asked Peter, who nodded grimly.

"Stand back, everyone," said Professor Walcott, and got off the crate. She walked back and pointed her wand at the crate, which burst open, and an angry-looking cobra slithered out. Lily recoiled; she thought Peter must have frozen, but the fat boy squeaked, " _R-Riddikulus!_ " The snake let out a hiss, and its fangs vanished; everyone laughed and the Boggart paused, confused. "Well done, Peter! Mary, you're next!"

Mary advanced upon the fangless snake just as Peter walked back looking happier than she'd ever seen him. There was a _crack_ , and the Boggart turned into a dead, rotting face with red eyes: the head of a zombie, it looked like to Lily. " _Riddikulus!_ " Mary yelled, and the red eyes were pierced with two sharp spears; Potter and Black hooted with laughter but Lily closed her eyes and shuddered – the sight was more gruesome than funny.

"Good! Mark!" Professor Walcott yelled, and Mark replaced Mary. There was another _crack_ , and the Boggart turned into a vampire. " _Riddikulus!_ " shouted Mark, and a huge piece of garlic appeared in front of the creature, which recoiled, retching loudly.

"Elizabeth!" the Professor shouted, and Liz charged forward, her wand up. _Crack!_ The Boggart turned into a dragon, which reared its wings and opened its mouth to breathe fire when –

"Riddikulus!" shouted Liz, and snow came out of the dragon's mouth instead. The class burst into laughter as snowflakes fell on top of them, and Professor Walcott yelled, "Excellent! Lily, you're next!"

She raised her wand and stepped forward purposefully. There was another crack as the Boggart sensed her presence, following which it turned into a gigantic lizard; it looked curiously like the Komodo Dragon of Indonesia which she'd read about, and it advanced upon her, its teeth bared. For a second, terror threatened to engulf her, but she steeled herself, and concentrating with all her might, she yelled, " _Riddikulus!_ "

The lizard slipped and fell flat on its stomach as its legs reduced to about a third of their original size; it moved its stubby legs helplessly as it tried to get up. A few of her classmates laughed as the Boggart struggled, clearly confused beyond measure. "Well done!" Professor Walcott shouted appreciatively. "Marlene!"

 _Crack!_ The Boggart turned into a skeleton, which disintegrated before her very eyes, then – _crack!_ – it became a dangerous-looking creature with a lion's body and a scorpion-like sting, which fell off (much to everyone's amusement), before – _crack!_ – the Boggart turned into a mummy, which fell flat on its face as one of its bandages unrolled –

"We're almost there! James!" Professor Walcott shouted, and Potter hurried forward. There was a _crack_ , and Lily immediately cupped her hands on top of her mouth – lying on the floor, clearly dead, was Mr Potter, his untidy hair filthy and his robes blood-stained. She felt a rush of sympathy for Potter – no one deserved to see _this_ as their greatest fear – no one. She thought that Potter had frozen, and she debated inwardly whether she should go forward and help him – but at that moment, he yelled, " _Riddikulus!_ " Mr Potter's body vanished, and was replaced by a funny-looking clown who burst into song. Everyone laughed, and Professor Walcott shouted, "Outstanding! Forward, Remus – force it back into the crate!"

Remus strode forward just as Potter rejoined them, looking smug. There was another _crack_ , and the Boggart turned into a silvery, spherical orb that hung in mid-air in front of Remus… Before she could figure out what it was, however, he shouted, " _Riddikulus!_ " The orb vanished, and the Boggart fell back into the crate as a cockroach. Professor Walcott waved her wand again, and the crate sealed itself shut, though it did continue to wobble.

"That was absolutely _wonderful_ , everyone," she said enthusiastically, beaming around at the entire class. "Well done! I never expected you all to get it right on your first try itself – but you did, and that is commendable! Let's see – five points to Gryffindor for every person who tackled the Boggart. And homework – read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me… You can hand it in on next Monday, and I'll be holding a small test then, at the end of the class, to see how many of you actually did your homework and not copied anyone else's. I ought to know – I've copied so many homework assignments during my time at Hogwarts, but no one found out – I got lucky because I managed to get good scores on my tests!" The class laughed again. It had been a most enjoyable lesson.

"That is all for today, then," said Professor Walcott, smiling at them all. "You may go."

Chattering excitedly, the Gryffindors began to walk back to the common room. "That was incredible!" Potter said enthusiastically. Lily felt surprised; she was sure that she wouldn't be so flippant if she'd just seen her father lying dead in front of her, fake though it may have been. She would have been depressed, she would've possibly cried even… She was starting to feel a little more empathy towards Potter and Marlene. It would be difficult to have a parent who wasn't guaranteed to return home every time they stepped out. She admired their toughness.

"Are you OK, James?" Liz asked Potter gently. "I mean – I know that it would have been difficult."

Potter snorted. "It _wasn't_ true, Hunt! The way that thing became a clown… That was fun!" Black guffawed from beside him, and even Peter managed a weak smile. "Why're you scared of snakes, Peter?" Mary asked him, and he replied, "I dunno – except that they're long and strong and venomous – you'd be mad _not_ to be scared!"

"And crystal balls, Remus? Why on earth? You haven't even been to a single Divination class yet!" Marlene exclaimed. There was just a fraction of a second when Lily thought that a shadow had appeared on Remus's face, but she was sure that she'd imagined it, for his face cleared as he gave Marlene an embarrassed smile. "I don't know – I don't really want to know what the future holds for me, to be honest, but my Dad wants me to take Divination…" His voice trailed off, and Marlene nodded sympathetically.

"She seems to be a really good teacher, though," said Lily, speaking for the first time since leaving the classroom. "And it was a good lesson, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," Liz agreed. "The teacher isn't just a looker, is she now, boys?" she added slyly, giving sideways glance towards Black and Potter, who looked a bit embarrassed.

"Her name is familiar, though," said Potter. "Maybe it was in the Prophet or something – I'll ask Dad –"

"She knows how to take a class, though," said Remus appreciatively. "If one day I get a chance to teach, I'll make sure that I'm nearly as good as she is!" he said with conviction.

"I'm sure you will," Lily said warmly, and he smiled at her gratefully. _It's true_ , she thought. _Remus would make a great teacher…_

Lily sighed as they all reached the common room. It had been a tiring first day back. She hoped that the rest of the year wouldn't be so tiring…

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	23. Chapter 22

Thanks for the reviews, SystematicChaos, mrudulakm, NicoleMargaret, KG and jily. You all rock!

Hello all, here is chapter twenty-two. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **A New Threat**

Autumn rolled by in a haze of busy days for Lily that year. With three more subjects in addition to her main ones, she was buried in work; she spent most of her evenings in the library with either Liz or Severus. She had wasted no time in telling Liz about her encounter with Marcus Arnold, but something had stopped her from confiding in Severus; she was sure that it was because of Liz corroborating Potter's story that he and Black had been attacked by Severus, causing her to question her own inclination towards believing him. She hadn't really felt the need to talk to Severus about that; she preferred to discuss Potions with him instead, a subject they both liked.

Her lessons were heavy in terms of workload, but very interesting. Arithmancy had started off extremely well for her, with her scoring full marks on each of the three homework assignments they'd been set so far. Transfiguration was still proving to be difficult as ever, but in the last lesson she'd been able to finally turn her kitten into a pair of spectacles without any furry edges. She aced every Charms class, mastering the Fire-Conjuration Spell ( _Incendio!_ ) within fifteen minutes while the rest of the class struggled to make even smoke appear from their wands; however, in her excitement, she accidentally set Professor Flitwick's hat on fire, but to her relief the little Charms Professor simply laughed it off.

They were studying Mandrakes that year in Herbology, and it was proving to be arduous; the Mandrakes resembled cranky babies who were determined to make life difficult for others. In Divination, they had finished with tea-leaf reading and moved on to palmistry; however, Lily was slowly starting to feel worried that she lacked aptitude for that subject, especially because whatever she studied in Arithmancy was beginning to bias her opinion towards predicting the future with number charts rather than reading soggy brown tea dregs. In Care of Magical Creatures, they'd moved on to Fire Salamanders, and she found the subject very interesting. But indubitably, the class she had the most fun in was Defence Against the Dark Arts.

After studying Boggarts, Professor Walcott had moved on to Red Caps, nasty little goblin-like creatures who lurked at places of bloodshed, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to Kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds. Professor Walcott's style of teaching was what made it all very entertaining, though; she was armed with a snarky wit that sent the class into peals of laughter every time she said something even remotely funny. Lily wondered why she walked with a limp, though…

"James found out who she is," Liz said to her one Friday evening, as they sat in the dormitory after dinner; Lily had just wondered aloud about Professor Walcott's limp. The next day was going to be their first Hogsmeade weekend; Lily was looking forward to visiting the village, albeit officially this time. Her parents had immediately signed the consent form once she'd given it to them, and she and Liz had spent the last half hour discussing what they were going to do the next day.

"Er – she is Professor Walcott," said Lily dryly, "I already know that." Liz rolled her eyes and said, "I mean James found out who she was – before she came to teach here, and also, why she walks with a limp." Liz lowered her voice as she spoke, and Lily leaned in closer, interested. "Well?" she asked, "What did Potter say?"

"From what Mr Potter told James, apparently Professor Walcott used to be an Auror until last year. Six months ago, she was captured by the Dark Side during a raid as they fled. She and another Auror were taken, and the recent mission that Marlene's Dad was on – it was a rescue mission. Professor Walcott's colleague was killed, and she was tortured for information, but she didn't give up a single thing," said Liz proudly. "The whole experience was traumatic, though, and she decided to take a year-long break from – er, being an Auror. That's what Professor Dumbledore approached her to ask if she'd take over as Defence teacher for a year, and she accepted."

"And the limp?" asked Lily curiously.

"The limp – it was a result of Dark Magic being used on her while she was tortured," said Liz, her voice low and full of sorrow. "Her ankle joint was permanently damaged in the process." Lily lowered her eyes. _She always seems so happy_ , she thought. _It must be difficult to hide the pain…_ She felt a surge of sympathy towards Professor Walcott, and her respect for the teacher skyrocketed.

At that moment, Marlene and Mary walked into the dormitory. "So – Hogsmeade," said Mary promptly. "What're you going to do tomorrow?"

"Well – we decided that we're just going to, you know, wander around – Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, and a couple of shops here and there," said Liz. "What're you two going to do?"

Marlene blushed slightly as Mary said, "Do you remember that Ravenclaw bloke – Jack Nicholas? Marlene used to – er, _look_ at him all the time?" They all looked at Marlene, who blushed even more. Mary continued mischievously, "Well, he asked her out on a date!"

"Wow – that's great!" Lily squealed, and Liz smiled excitedly. "Yep – so you're the first of us to be dating – that's going to be _fun_ , isn't it?" she added wickedly, her eyes dancing, and Lily laughed.

"Come on – it's just a Butterbeer!" said Marlene, beetroot red by now, but the other girls continued to laugh teasingly. "Did anyone of you see Remus at dinner today?" Marlene asked, and Lily was sure that she was trying to change the subject. She felt a small stab of pity at her friend's embarrassment, and decided to help her out a bit. "Nah, he wasn't there," she said. "I think he's gone home to see his Mum."

"Ahh, all right," said Marlene, snapping her fingers, "I thought so. He goes home every month, doesn't he?"

"Yup," said Lily. "Poor boy," she added sympathetically, "No one deserves to watch their Mum suffer like that." Marlene and the other girls nodded solemnly.

Lily looked outside the window. The sky was nearly dark, but she could make out the Whomping Willow in the distance. It was a cloudless night, and the full moon shone brightly in all its glory. "I wonder why that tree is called the Whomping Willow," she said conversationally, "It certainly wasn't this big when we came here, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," agreed Liz, coming to stand next to her. "It's really grown in the past two years… It's so big!"

"And it hits anything that gets close to it – that's why it's called the _Whomping Willow_ – isn't it obvious, Lily?" teased Marlene. Lily blushed a little and said, "I know that – I was merely wondering why it does that."

"Must be some sort of spell," said Mary, "Maybe the tree doesn't like anyone going close to it, so it just hits out like that. That's probably why we were all forbidden to go near it, right? I remember Professor McGonagall announcing that in Transfiguration last year."

"Correct, but that's not all," said a voice from behind them, and they all turned around just as Jane entered the dormitory. They all greeted her cordially; she wasn't really as close to them as they were with each other. Mark was her best friend, and they were inseparable – they took the same subjects, did their homework with each other, and went everywhere together.

"What do you mean, Jane?" Liz asked curiously.

"Well," began Jane, a little smugly, "Back in our first year, when the tree was still growing, people used to play a game – trying to get near enough to touch the trunk, see? Stupid game, I think – anyway, do you know that bloke in fourth year? David Gudgeon, Hufflepuff, also called Davey?" They shook their heads and Jane continued, "Well, the tree whacked him on the face – and he nearly lost an eye!" She shuddered slightly. "He was half-blind for about a week before his injury healed, and that's why we're forbidden to go near it."

"Wow," said Marlene dryly, "That's a really – er, _enthralling_ tale, Jane." Lily bit back a laugh, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Liz and Mary trying to do the same. Jane turned to Marlene, her smile still on her face. "I hope your date tomorrow is just as _enthralling_ ," she said sweetly, and Marlene went crimson again. "How do you –?"

"Oh, please," said Jane dismissively, "I _know_ stuff. Someone once said knowledge is power." With a little wave, she went over to her bed, as Lily and the others finally burst into laughter at Marlene's expense. Lily thought Jane was nice enough, but she could be a little full of herself from time to time… And she seemed to know the latest gossip, too… Lily decided to be wary of Jane from now on. She couldn't help but remember the old saying – _whoever gossips to you will also gossip about you…_

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Saturday dawned cold and gloomy. It was not the best weather to go to Hogsmeade, but at least there was no rain – only a number of grey clouds. Lily got up and dressed quickly, and waited for the other girls to follow suit before they went over to the Great Hall for breakfast. Jane drifted away to join Mark, and the rest of them began to animatedly discuss their plans, while occasionally teasing Marlene about her date. Lily noted that Marlene was looking prettier than usual; she had straightened her dark brown hair, and she wore a blue hairband to match her cobalt-blue eyes. She looked excited, too, and her constant blush made her cheeks appear rosier than usual. _I hope she has a good time_ , thought Lily.

After breakfast, they all lined up near the Entrance Hall. They were given the option to go walking or by the carriages, so Lily and Liz chose to walk. Marlene was going to meet her date at the Three Broomsticks, and she was so nervous that Mary offered to go with her by the carriages, adding to Lily and Liz that she'd catch up with them later. The Marauders were nowhere to be seen, so Lily figured that they'd gone on ahead; together, she and Liz set off along the path to Hogsmeade. Just then, Jane hurried up from behind them, panting slightly, a serious expression on her face.

"Did you hear?" she said to them as soon as she'd caught her breath. "What? The sound of you heaving like a hound after a hunt? Yeah, I heard that," said Liz sarcastically, but smiling at Jane to take the sting out of her comment. Jane rolled her eyes and said, "No – I just heard that Melissa Knight – our year, Ravenclaw – was attacked last night. She's in the Hospital Wing, poor thing!" she added, her honey-coloured eyes round and wide.

"Oh no!" Lily exclaimed. "Is she OK? What happened to her?"

"I dunno," said Jane. "I just heard it this morning from Claire Palmer – her best friend. Claire's really upset, she isn't even coming to Hogsmeade today. She's going to stay in the Hospital Wing instead."

"That's the second attack on a Muggleborn this year," Liz mused. "There was one at the end of last month too, wasn't there? Some Hufflepuff fourth-year?"

"Yes, I heard about that, too," said Lily. "Someone's attacking Muggleborns, apparently." She hugged herself as she spoke, but the chill that ran down her spine had nothing to do with the cold weather. _I will_ not _be attacked_ , she thought firmly.

"Anyway, I just thought you ought to know, Lily," said Jane, turning towards her. "You should remain on your guard now – if someone's attacking Muggleborns –"

"Yes, yes, I know, Jane," said Lily, more sharply than she'd intended. Jane looked a tad hurt, and Lily quickly added in a much softer tone, "Thank you for telling me. I'll be on my guard from now on." Jane nodded solemnly before waving to them and hurrying off, presumably to join Mark.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you," said Liz reassuringly, squeezing her hand. "Dumbledore will do something about these attacks, and the teachers will be vigilant, too – so this will stop."

"I hope so," Lily said. She was not exactly reassured, but she appreciated Liz's words all the same. She liked how Liz could usually understand what she was thinking, and what was bothering her.

They walked along the path until they reached Hogsmeade. It looked a lot more different to Lily in the daylight; she had only seen it during night time, and it had looked a lot less welcoming back then. "Where do you want to go first?" Liz asked her, and she said, "I dunno… Maybe the Three Broomsticks? It _is_ cold, after all… We could drink a Butterbeer, then come back outside to walk around… What do you say?"

Liz considered. "Marlene would be in there right now, wouldn't she?" she said knowingly, her sea-green eyes glinting mischievously. Lily laughed and said, "On second thought, let's let her enjoy a few moments of peace… How about we go somewhere else right now?"

"Sure," suggested Liz, sounding a little disappointed, and Lily rolled her eyes. "I know you want to have some fun with her – but not now, Liz. The poor girl is nervous as it is, so let's not put her more ill at ease."

"You're no fun," said Liz with mock sadness, before taking her arm and almost dragging her up the road. "Let's go to Honeydukes, then," she said decisively, and the two girls walked briskly towards the sweetshop.

Honeydukes was so crowded with students that Lily was unable to see the shelves on which boxes of different sweets rested, at first glance. She and Liz squeezed their way through the crowd to a corner, right in front of a shelf labelled 'Honeydukes special chocolate'. "See, this is what I'm talking about," said Liz, and quickly handed her a chocolate bar. "That tastes better than anything you've ever tasted."

"Is that so?" said Lily teasingly. "Yep," said Liz promptly, "It'll be better than that white chocolate you got me from Belgium last year, I'm sure of it." Lily rolled her eyes as Liz added, "I think we should come back later, this place is so crowded that I can hardly breathe!" Lily agreed, so they quickly paid for their chocolate and thankfully stepped out into the street, only to come face to face with the Marauders.

"Hello, Hunt," said Potter, smiling cockily as usual. "All right, Evans?"

She nodded to him and said, "I'm fine, thank you. You lot going to Honeydukes?"

"Well, we _are_ standing outside that particular shop, so I'd have to say – er, yes?" said Black, his tone mocking. She ignored him, as she'd been doing for the past few months. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you, Potter," she said, facing him squarely. "Why'd you have to do that to Bertram Aubrey, eh?" Bertram Aubrey was a fourth-year from Ravenclaw. Just about two weeks ago, Lily had run into Dorcas Meadowes, the girl who had told her about the new subjects last year; Dorcas had introduced her to Bertram, who was her friend.

Lily wasn't amused as Potter, Black and Peter all burst into laughter. "I'm serious!" she yelled, and Black said dryly, "That's funny, Evans – I thought _I_ was Sirius." At that, the boys guffawed even harder, and even Liz gave a dry chuckle.

"Ha ha, Black, you're _so_ funny," she said sarcastically, with a touch of asperity, and Black answered with mock happiness, "Thanks, I thought so, too!"

"Still, why did you have to go and hex Aubrey, Potter?" she said, and he looked at her, his laughter subsiding at last. "He was being rude about me," he said defensively, "He said that Amy Blythe was a better Chaser than I was." All of a sudden, Potter looked angry.

"And is that true, Potter?" Lily asked him, and his face coloured. "Of course not!" he exclaimed, "I beat her in tryouts, didn't I? And she's a sore loser, too – she didn't pass to me when we played Hufflepuff!"

"So if it isn't true," began Lily, "Why do you care what he said? You know you're better than Blythe, don't you?"

"You don't understand," said Potter sullenly, "What if someone said that Snivellus could whip up a Potion much better than you could? Forget Snivellus – what if someone said that _I_ was a better Potioneer than you?"

She snorted. "It's _Severus_ ," she said coldly. "And we both know who's better at Potions among the two of us, Potter."

"Whatever," he said dismissively, "But if there's a chance that other people mock you for it, do you want to take it?"

She considered this; he had a point. She said instead, "All the same, I wouldn't _hex_ someone, Potter. How childish is that?"

Liz, who had been quiet all this while, now said, "Lily's got a point, James. It _is_ rather childish to hex someone who annoys you – just because you can."

"I don't care. He started it, and it isn't my fault that I was quicker with my wand than he was."

"Yes, but blowing his head up to twice its normal size isn't the way to deal with it," Lily retorted, and once again, the three boys began to laugh uncontrollably. "You should've seen his face," Black exclaimed, "He looked like a melon on a wand!"

"You're an idiot, Potter," said Lily, a little angrily. "It's a pity Remus isn't here right now – he'd have said the same thing!"

The mention of Remus sobered up the three boys at once. "Is he OK? He's gone home to visit his mother, hasn't he?" Liz asked. The three boys exchanged looks before Potter smiled again, but there was something distinctly different about it; it wasn't his usual lopsided grin. It seemed rather forced, and Lily noted that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah," was all he said, though. "And Remus did say the same things that you did – two days ago, when I got detention for ballooning up Aubrey's head. It wasn't even a hex, mind you – merely an Engorgement Charm."

"Well – you did get detention for it, didn't you? It's like you and Black compete for who gets the most detentions!" said Liz, throwing up her arms in mild exasperation. Potter grinned. "Yeah, something like that," he said airily, and Peter sniggered.

Liz shook her head slightly, and turned to her. "Come on, Lily," she said, "Let's go to Gladrags – I want to buy some nice winter clothes." Turning to the boys, she added, "See you later – and stay out of trouble, will you?"

"A Marauder can never promise that he will ever stay out of trouble," said Black, "Right, fellows?"

"Hear, hear," said Potter in agreement, and Peter nodded animatedly. Liz rolled her eyes and gave the boys a sarcastic wave, before beckoning to her. Lily nodded to the Marauders and smiled at Peter before hurrying off to catch up with her friend. "Those boys!" she burst out, "I swear, they get more annoying day by day!"

"Yeah, never mind that," said Liz, a little dismissively, "Did you get the feeling that they were hiding something from us? I think it concerns Remus." Lily paused, considering. She remembered Potter's forced smile at Remus's mention, and said, "Yeah, I see what you mean – I thought the same, too. I don't know – something wasn't quite right."

"What d'you reckon it is?" Liz asked her.

"I dunno. Could be anything," she said. "But I don't think we should ask Remus _or_ them about it – they'll tell us if it is anything serious."

"OK," said Liz, as they entered Gladrags Wizardwear. Lily had fun looking at the different robes; there wasn't as much variety as Madam Malkin's, but the shop had some good quality merchandise, nevertheless. She selected a scarf for her mother as a Christmas present, and a pair of dark red dragon hide gloves for her Dad; it was too early to actually give them to her parents, with Christmas being nearly two months away, so she gave her address to the shopkeeper and asked him to send it to her on Christmas Day. For Petunia, however, she selected nothing. She would decide what to get her sister later. Liz selected a scarlet-and-gold jumper for herself; she waited as Lily paid for her purchases, with a receipt from the shopkeeper that the package would be delivered on Christmas day.

"Nice presents," complimented Liz as they stepped back onto the Main Street. "Thanks," said Lily, gratified. "D'you want to go for lunch somewhere? I'm hungry."

"Sure – let's head over to the Three Broomsticks," suggested Liz, and they entered the pub. It was warm inside, and packed with people. They ordered pork sandwiches for lunch and a Butterbeer each, and Lily drank the Butterbeer with great relish; it was definitely one of the most delicious things she'd ever tasted. She unwrapped her bar of chocolate and tasted that, too; it was mouth-watering, not to sweet and not too bitter. "You're right, this _is_ better than white chocolate," she said to Liz, a little unwillingly; Liz gave her a superior smile which caused Lily to roll her eyes.

Lily looked around the pub as they finished their meal and were about to get up. Marlene and her date were nowhere to be seen, so they looked for Mary until they found her at the back of the pub, chatting with a couple of Hufflepuffs in their year. The Hufflepuff girls rose and left just as Lily and Liz started to walk towards Mary.

"Liz! Lily!" Mary called enthusiastically, as soon as she saw them. They waved back and headed over to her table, sitting down at it. "What have you been up to, Mary?" Liz asked her. "Oh – Marlene was really nervous, so I said that I'll sit here while she went on her date – two tables away from me, that too," said Mary, and rolled her eyes. "Once the bloke came, though, she never even gave me a second glance! They ate and left, but before leaving Marlene gave me a smile and the thumbs-up. She looked at ease, so _that's_ a relief. I was hungry, so I had lunch – spoke to those two girls, too – they were saying something about Melissa Knight being attacked, did you hear?"

There was a slight pause. Then Lily said, "Yep – we heard if from Jane. There was another attack about a month ago, too – so this one makes it two in two months!"

"Yes, exactly. And these attacks – they aren't your typical jinxes or hexes in corridors," said Mary sombrely. "They're to do with Dark Magic… Why, that girl Mandy, she was telling me that someone used a Blood Loss Curse on Melissa, but only her hand was hit. Apparently the Curse causes you to, you know, bleed out – because if help doesn't arrive soon, your wound remains open and you can't do anything about it." Mary shuddered. "If someone hadn't found her, she might have even died!"

"Who found her, then?" Liz asked her. Mary considered. "I dunno, some Prefect, it must have been. They rushed her to the Hospital Wing as soon as they found, and her injury was healed – but she had to stay there for the rest of today, taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every six hours. And her friend, Claire Palmer – she is sitting there with Melissa until she recovers. What a nice friend, eh?"

"So how do these Hufflepuff girls know all this?" Lily asked Mary curiously. "Well, you see, Mandy heard it from Clara Dalton, who's in Ravenclaw – Clara was the one who told everyone Claire had told her that she'd be staying back with Melissa, and that Melissa was going to be all right," said Mary. "Then they told me…" Mary gave her a worried look. "Look, Lil – this may be a little bit of a damper, but Melissa – and that fourth-year Hufflepuff who was attacked about a month ago – they are _both_ Muggleborns. It seems like someone is attacking Muggleborns… So you –"

"Yes, I know, Mary," she said sharply, and Mary stopped talking at once. Lily quickly softened her expression, but she was angry inside; this was the second time in the last few hours that someone had implied that she was in danger because of her Muggleborn status. "But constantly being on your guard in fear of an attack isn't the answer. Personally, I'd like to look into who is attacking all these poor innocent people."

There was a pause, and they all looked at each other. "Well, why don't we?" asked Liz in a low voice full of excitement. Mary's eyes shone. "Great idea!" she exclaimed, and Liz grinned. They both looked at Lily expectantly.

"Uh – I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she said carefully. "Do you honestly think that _us_ , third-years who don't know an awful lot of magic, can catch someone behind attacks on Muggleborns?" she added sceptically. "Come on – it's a lot safer to just go to a teacher and ask them to step up their efforts in catching the culprit…" But even in her head the words lacked conviction. She was being cautious, as was her nature, but deep down, she could feel the excitement of going after someone who was most likely to be a tough opponent.

Mary rolled her eyes and asked animatedly, "Come on, Lily – where's your sense of adventure? It was your idea to begin with!" But Liz simply looked at her in her usual calm way. Lily couldn't look away from her best friend's sea-green eyes. "You know we're going to do it – whether you join us or not," said Liz evenly, but her eyes held a glint of mischief. "How d'you think you would feel when we catch this person and earn so many points that we win the House Cup for Gryffindor, knowing that you had the chance to join us – but you didn't because you were _scared_?"

Lily knew that she'd been beaten. She wasn't scared, though a part of her was apprehensive; but already her misgivings were giving way to the rush of excitement that came with a newly presented challenge. _It is my duty as a Muggleborn to get to the bottom of these attacks – especially because the person behind them is attacking people like me_ , she told herself. She really wanted to be the one who caught the villain and to deduce who it was; her parents had given her _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_ on her last birthday, and Lily had loved the way Sherlock Holmes went about figuring things out just by a train of logical reasoning, and his own heightened powers of observation. _Well, I could do a Sherlock here, couldn't I? Winning the House Cup would be a nice added bonus, too – but I really want to find out what's going on!_

She looked at Liz, who had a self-satisfied grin on her face; Lily knew that her friend was smiling because she'd (correctly) guessed that she'd been successful in persuading her to join them. "Fine," said Lily, and grinned reluctantly at Liz. "I'm in. But we do things very cautiously, and we do nothing stupid."

"Seconded," said Mary, clapping her hands. "And we'll include Marlene, too – right?" she added, looking at them. They both nodded simultaneously. "We may have to include the boys – eventually, that is, when we have something to go on," said Liz. Lily frowned, but didn't object; after all, she didn't know who or what they were dealing with, and they may need the boys to help out if need be.

"It's decided, then," said Mary, "By the end of the year, we find out who it is that's attacking Muggleborns." Liz and Lily nodded solemnly, excited. Lily was already looking forward to playing detective…

On their way back they discussed their first steps. They concluded by agreeing that they would remain alert at all times, and keep their eyes and ears open for anything unusual. The attack could happen at any time; it was obvious that with the attacker still at large even after two incidents, he or she would gain confidence and strike again soon. Lily decided fiercely to herself that she would be so vigilant that she wouldn't get attacked. _I will not,_ she thought firmly. _I will not get attacked…_

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"I really hope we win today," said Liz excitedly to Lily as they walked to the Quidditch pitch. "First game of the season – Gryffindor versus Slytherin – a winning start is what we want!"

Lily grinned. "Yeah, that's right," she said. "I hope we win the Cup this year at least – it's Frank's last year, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Liz, "And he's one player who deserves it more than everyone else. Frank's a great player – but he's only been able to win the Cup once so far, in his fourth year. Fabian told me," she added as an answer to Lily's questioning look, and Lily nodded.

"I hope we win, too," she said, "We've never lost to Slytherin yet – have we?"

"Not in the past five years," said Liz, "Another statistic that Fab told me. He knows a lot about Quidditch stats – he can recite the winners of the Quidditch League for the past twenty years – and that's not all, he knows the winners of the Quidditch Champions League, as well as the Spanish, French and German Quidditch Leagues!"

"What a productive use of his time," said Lily dryly, and Liz rolled her eyes. "Better than learning our Potions textbook by heart," she shot back, grinning wickedly, and Lily punched her good-naturedly on the arm.

The November sun was pleasantly warm as they stepped into their seats, clutching their scarves and their small scarlet-and-gold flags. They found seats with the other Gryffindor third-years, and settled themselves down comfortably.

"Who's commentating? Brandon Smith passed out, didn't he?" asked Marlene, and Liz nodded in response, frowning. "Yeah, he did – so there's definitely going to be a new commentator this year –" But the rest of her words were drowned by the new commentator's voice.

"Hello and welcome to the first game of the season!" a familiar female voice boomed, and Lily spun around to see that the person holding the Magical Megaphone was none other than the Ravenclaw fourth-year, Dorcas Meadowes. "It's Gryffindor versus Slytherin – as it always is – no surprises there," Dorcas continued. "Excellent Quidditch conditions today – blue skies, no clouds – but be warned, everybody, this could be the last sunshine of the year!"

Lily looked up at the sky and nodded to herself. Dorcas was right; with winter setting in, this could very well be the last sunshine of the year.

Within minutes, the teams were on the pitch, and the game commenced. "This is the first game ever for the referee – Madam Brenner," announced Dorcas. "Longbottom's got the Quaffle – he's heading straight along the centre – now, Potter – gives it back to his Captain, and the Slytherin Chasers are unable to intercept – now it's Shaw – in towards Potter, who SHOOTS! But it's been saved, good save, that, from Keeper Parkinson, Slytherin have got the Quaffle now…"

"Come on, James," yelled Black from next to Marlene, his eyes narrowed. "Hey, it was the first attack! It's OK – we'll score," said Liz comfortingly.

"And now, it's new Chaser Julius Braddock on the counterattack," said Dorcas enthusiastically. "Passes the Quaffle to Croft, who gives it back – Nice move by Braddock – swerves around Shaw, he's in the scoring area now – Longbottom attempts to take the Quaffle, but the referee has blown her whistle – it's a foul!" A collective sigh went up from the Gryffindor end of the stands, but cheers and jeers were heard from the Slytherin end.

"How is that a foul?" Black shouted, addressing no one in particular. "Frank didn't even touch him!"

"Referee's call, Black," said Marlene, though her teeth were gritted, too. Above them, Frank seemed to be arguing with Madam Brenner, but in the end he just flew away from her, stiff and rigid. Lily supposed that he was angry, and Madam Brenner awarded a penalty to Slytherin.

"Penalty – foul by Longbottom in the goal area, and it's going to be Braddock who takes the shot – Braddock against Lawson – and Braddock scores! Ten-nil to Slytherin!" The Slytherin supporters clapped and cheered, and Lily exchanged a gloomy look with Liz.

Within a few minutes, it became evident that something was wrong. It looked to Lily that Madam Brenner was biased towards Slytherin; the referee awarded them penalties for very soft fouls, while the Gryffindors didn't get so much as a stop in play when their players were fouled. The match began to get dirtier, and there was a clash between Frank and Adam Croft, one of the Slytherin Chasers. Lily gasped as Croft punched Frank in the face, and Frank retaliated with one of his own.

"Oh, they're fighting, this could get ugly," said Dorcas; she too sounded surprised. "It appears to be some dispute over who had the Quaffle…"

"Damn the referee!" Black cursed, as Madam Brenner broke the fight up and awarded yet another penalty to Slytherin. He actually got up and drew his wand, but Remus pulled him back down in his seat. "Sit down, Sirius, there's nothing you can do, anyway," he said, and Peter joined in to wrestle Black's wand out of his hand. It looked to Lily like Black was all for hexing Madam Brenner, and his friends had stopped him.

"This is ridiculous!" Black yelled. "Give me back my wand, Pete – so that I can jinx Madam Brenner!" But Peter shook his head. "Not until you calm down, mate!" he said, a lot more firmly than Lily would've given him credit for.

"But come on! That's the seventeenth time she's ruled against us in twenty minutes, and the Slytherins have only had one decision going against them! I tell you, that referee is biased – she must have been paid off by the Slytherins, no doubt!"

"OK, that's enough," said Liz. She looked straight at Black and said, "Why don't you take a deep breath, and understand how stupid you sound! Paid the referee? I mean, why would anyone do that in the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup – a league with four teams?"

Black didn't answer, he only looked at Liz mutinously. Liz returned his gaze calmly. "Now, sit quietly. If Gryffindor are a top-quality team, they will win this game – biased referee and all notwithstanding!" she said earnestly.

"Yeah, well said, Liz," said Marlene, and held up her hand for an overhead clap. Liz clapped it and turned towards the front. "Black's right, though – Madam Brenner is being incredibly unfair to us!" Lily exclaimed. Black heard, and said irritably, "Thank you for stating the obvious, Evans!"

She opened her mouth to retort, but decided against it; she didn't want to spend any more energy arguing with him. She turned her attention back to the game just as Madam Brenner awarded one more penalty to Slytherin. "That has to be the ninth penalty Slytherin have got," said Mary worriedly. Adam Croft took it this time, but Lawson made the save; Lily and Liz cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors as Dorcas announced, "Good save from Lawson, who keeps the margin constant; it's still a hundred and ten to forty in favour of Slytherin…"

"Look!" exclaimed Marlene, and they all turned to where she was pointing; the Gryffindor Seeker, Julie Perkins, had gone into a dive, with the new Slytherin Seeker Connor Higgs on her tail. "I think Perkins has seen the Snitch!" yelled Dorcas, as the crowd gasped and cheered. "Go, Julie!" Marlene shouted, as Julie Perkins headed straight towards the Slytherin goalposts, about ten feet below the Keeper, her hand outstretched. "Oh, no, Higgs has almost caught up with her!" wailed Mary, but just as Julie reached the goalpost, she directed her broom upwards and accelerated. Higgs had no time to change direction, and there was a sickening _crunch_ as the Slytherin Seeker collided head-on with the goalpost.

"Ooh, that one _had_ to hurt!" Liz exclaimed, her face screwed up in distaste. The Slytherins called a timeout, and the game halted as six green-clad figures raced towards the ground to where their fallen teammate lay; it looked as if he'd been knocked out.

"Wow – she hadn't seen the Snitch, had she? She was pretending, wasn't she?" Lily said to Liz in wonder, and her best friend nodded happily and said, "It's a pretty valid tactic, players use it all the time – just make the other Seeker copy you!"

"She feinted!" Black exclaimed gleefully, and Lily turned to him and said sarcastically, "Yeah, and that's not stating the obvious at all." Liz chuckled and Black looked a little abashed, but ecstasy returned to his face as he looked over at the pitch. "It was an excellent feint," Marlene said enthusiastically, "I doubt if Higgs will continue on!"

"That's awful, isn't it?" Lily said, "He could be seriously injured!"

"Who cares?" said Black dismissively, and Lily was surprised to hear the callousness in his tone. "Madam Pomfrey – or the new Healer, what's her name now? Oh, yeah, Madam Whitney – she'll fix him. He's fine as long as he isn't dead, isn't he?"

"Black!" exclaimed Lily, more than a little shocked. Black turned to her, and his grey eyes were hard. "Look, Evans, you will never understand what a serious business Quidditch is, so just stay out of it, OK? Slytherins committing fouls, and the referee aiding them – someone had to show them that _we_ could play a little dirty, too, so long as it's within the rules – and that, _that_ is what counts!"

Lily stared hard at him, but couldn't really find anything to say. Most of what he said was true, but she still didn't agree with it. She contented herself by giving him a cold look before turning back towards the game, just as a teacher stretchered Connor Higgs off, presumably to the Hospital Wing.

"This is interesting – with their Seeker off, and no reserve, Slytherin will have to build a lead of one hundred and sixty points in order to win," said Marlene, rubbing her hands in excitement as the game re-commenced. "Fat chance!" she added, and Mary laughed, just as Dorcas announced, "And Potter scores! That's the first goal for James Potter, who has largely been anonymous in this match…"

The match grew faster, but dirtier still. Furious with the loss of their Seeker, the Slytherin Beaters continually whacked the Bludgers towards Julie Perkins. When one narrowly missed her, Frank instructed Gideon (or Fabian; it was hard to tell from the distance) to protect her, or so it seemed to Lily. One would've thought that with no Beaters to protect the Chasers, Slytherin goals would dry up, but with every little thing done by the Gryffindors being adjudged to be a foul, their Chasers couldn't use their best moves, and the Slytherins' lead began to climb steadily.

"One hundred and eighty to sixty!" announced Dorcas, as the Slytherins in the crowd cheered. "Twelfth goal for Julius Braddock, the most by a player in a single game in the past ten years – this _has_ to be a record! Slytherin have found a player of prodigious talent, indeed! But wait – is it – yes, I think Perkins has really seen the Snitch this time!"

A collective roar rose from the Gryffindors as they egged their Seeker on. Lily gasped as both Bludgers headed for Julie, but Gideon was equal to the task; he threw himself in the way and quickly whacked both Bludgers away in quick succession. "Go, Julie!" Marlene and Liz screamed together, as Julie dived lower and lower – it appeared as if she closed her fingers around something – then she rose higher and higher, her hand raised in triumph.

"And Perkins has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor win!" shouted Dorcas, and the Gryffindor side of the stadium exploded with cheers. "We won! We won!" Liz yelled ecstatically, jumping up and down. Dazed with relief, Lily looked at Madam Brenner, who was attempting to shake Frank's hand as a post-match formality, but the Gryffindor Captain was having none of it – he instead went to his teammates and began to celebrate in all earnestness.

 _Wow, he looks really annoyed_ , Lily thought. _But it's understandable – the referee is really a nasty piece of work! Why is she biased against us, anyway?_

Lily sighed. It looked like there would be another thing that she was going to have to figure out that year.

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	24. Chapter 23

Thanks for the reviews, mysafarnama, Beachstar, KG and Kimmee (Wow, you think so? Really? Well, thanks!). You all rock!

Hello all, here is chapter twenty-three. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

" **Don't call her Mudblood!"**

"I'm starting to get a little tired of the noise!" Lily yelled in Liz's ear. "Oh come on – let's dance for just ten more minutes," her friend shouted back, and Lily gave her an expression of distaste but nodded in assent.

They were in the Gryffindor common room, and it was nearly midnight. The party after defeating Slytherin had kicked off early in the afternoon, and had gone on since then with great enthusiasm. Julie Perkins had been hoisted on top of many proud and excited shoulders for her incredible feint; a huge drawing of Madam Brenner's harsh countenance hung in one corner of the common room with Frank Longbottom giving away money to people who could shoot a bolt through any part of it (a Galleon for an eyeball, a Sickle for the nose, ears or eyebrows, and a Knut for the rest of the face); music blared loudly over the radio with everyone dancing to it, and to top it all, Fabian and Gideon Prewett had disappeared for a couple of hours along with Black and Potter, and had returned with bags full of Honeydukes sweets, Butterbeer, fruit juice for the first- and second-years and even a few bottles of something that Liz told her was called Firewhiskey, a drink stronger than Butterbeer and tasting like fire burning down one's throat.

She went over to the food table and picked up a Chocolate Frog. Fabian Prewett was standing next to it, with a half-filled glass of Firewhiskey in his hand. "How did you do that? How did you get all this stuff?" she asked Fabian, who looked more than a little tipsy; he looked at her and smiled airily. "There's more than one passages out of the school, Lily!" he said loudly, and took another swig of his drink. Lily frowned; she had guessed as much. If there was one, there were surely others…

"D'you want a taste?" Fabian asked her, and shoved his glass under the nose. She recoiled as the strong fumes of alcohol hit her. "Er – no, thanks," she said awkwardly, but at that moment, Alice Rutherford appeared out of nowhere and said to Fabian, "OK, that's enough. It's time you got to bed – come on, now… Hey, Gid!" she hollered across the room, "Give me a hand with your idiot brother!" Gideon came into view, looking much soberer than his twin. "When Fab starts offering his Firewhiskey to underage people, we know he's had too much," Alice added to Lily, as Gideon gently took the glass out of Fabian's hands. She only nodded back, and watched as they began to help Fabian back to his dormitory. She shook her head and turned around, coming face-to-face quite suddenly with James Potter, who had an expression of utmost glee on his face.

"Evans!" he shouted and hugged her enthusiastically, "We won, Evans!"

She quickly extricated herself from him and said dryly, "I noticed, Potter." He grinned at her a little stupidly, and Black appeared next to him, looking unenthusiastic (probably at the sight of her). "Sorry about him, he's a little – er, excited," he said, and put an arm around Potter's shoulder. "Come on, James – don't you want to see the effects of our actions?" At that, Potter grinned widely and said, "Of course! Where's Peter?"

"What did you do to Peter?" she asked them suspiciously, and Black raised his eyebrows. "Why's that your business?" he asked her brusquely, but Potter grinned cockily at her. "That's nothing compared to what's going to happen to Snivellus!" he said mischievously. She felt a pang of dread at his words; something that made Potter so happy did not bode well for Severus.

"What did you do?" she asked them, her eyes hard, and her hands on her hips. Potter's grin grew wider. "You'll see," he said cryptically. " _What did you do?_ " she repeated, her tone dangerous, and his grin faded. "You'll see," he said again, and his voice held a note of disdain. But before she could say anything more, there was a great shout of laughter from the centre of the common room. Distracted, she turned her gaze towards the laughter, and began to make her way closer in order to investigate. Potter and Black followed her, chattering excitedly.

"—come on, Mary – I love you!" a familiar voice entreated, and Lily felt shocked; it was Peter Pettigrew.

"Peter, you're sloshed – you don't know what you're saying!" Lily heard Mary say just as she reached her and Peter.

"No, I'm not – I know very well what I'm saying and doing – here, I'll prove it!" Peter said, and moved forward; he brought his lips very close to Mary's, but before he could kiss her, she pushed him away rather strongly, and before anyone could react, she slapped him hard across the face.

Almost like magic, the laughter faded away into a rather uncomfortable silence that lasted for a full five seconds. "You're an idiot, Peter Pettigrew!" Mary screamed, her face red. Lily was astounded; the normally sweet and polite Mary was positively quivering with anger. "Thinking you can come and just kiss me – well, I'm having none of that! Stay away from me!" she yelled, and stormed away. Lily thought she saw tears in Mary's amber eyes as she shoved her way through the circle of onlookers.

"Wow," said a voice, and Lily wheeled around to see Liz standing next to her. "I didn't see that coming!" Liz exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Let's go – let's see if she's OK…"

"You go," said Lily, her temper beginning to rise, "I'll join you in a bit. I need to have a few words with somebody…" Liz frowned, but didn't argue, she began to walk in the direction of the girls' dormitory. Lily saw Marlene join Liz at the foot of the staircase, and the two girls disappeared from view as they climbed the stairs.

She saw Remus help a shamefaced Peter up from the floor as the rest of the party began to return to normalcy. She turned towards Black and Potter, who were standing right behind her, looking rather guilty. Incensed, she said in a voice full of suppressed rage, "So, this is what you did? You put _Firewhiskey_ – in his drink?"

"Er," began Potter, "We never thought that would happen, see? Pete's had a crush on Mary for the past month now, but you know how he is – he's too timid to say anything. So today, Sirius and I decided to, er, give him a little push –"

"That's right," said Black, a little defensively, though his expression was still guilty. "We were trying to _help_ him – so we put some Firewhiskey in his Butterbeer. We'd nicked a bottle earlier, when Fab and Gid got a few – they just turned seventeen last month, so they were going to celebrate a bit, and we, er, took a bottle from one of the bags they were carrying –"

"We never meant for that to happen! We thought –" Potter continued earnestly, but she cut across him swiftly. "No," she said, her voice low and deadly. Daggers shot out of her eyes as she looked into his hazel ones. "No," she repeated, "That is exactly what you _didn't_ do – you didn't _think_. You know what your problem is? You _never_ think. You always act before you think, and you don't care about how your actions affect others. Well, I've got some news for you two – the world doesn't revolve around you idiots!" she shouted out the last word spitefully, and began to march towards the dormitory staircase without so much as a backward glance towards them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus helping Peter, who looked forlorn and shocked, into a chair in front of the fire.

She ran up the staircase purposefully. She had a crying friend to comfort, and her thoughts were so focused on Mary that she didn't even think about what the Marauders had done to Severus. She only remembered that as she stood outside her dormitory _. Well, I'll deal with that later_ , she thought grimly… _One problem at a time…_

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The Marauders' prank on Severus was revealed to Lily the very next morning, when she saw her friend show up for breakfast with his hair a distinct shade of scarlet and gold. He took his seat at the Slytherin table, blushing crimson as he sat, and a few people in the Great Hall roared with laughter at the sight of him, the Marauders in particular looking very pleased with themselves. Professor McGonagall immediately set his hair right before lecturing the Marauders and giving detention to Potter and Black, the main perpetrators of the deed.

"Fabian gave it to us," chortled Potter to Marlene and Liz, who were both looking highly amused. "He got it from Zonko's – er, yesterday," he added in a whisper, "It's some sort of hair potion that causes your hair to change colour, see? It's temporary – washes off after about, uh, two to three days," he said, grinning evilly. Lily was just about to shout at him when he got up and said, "See you later!" A second later, Black joined him, and they began to walk out of the Great Hall.

Suddenly, Potter tripped and fell flat on his face. Astonished, Black began to help him to his feet, unable to understand how his usually sure-footed friend had fallen like that. The Great Hall erupted into laughter as Potter stood up, red-faced, and exited the Hall with Black. Lily found herself joining in the laughter, but she shrewdly looked over at the Slytherin table; her hunch proved to be correct as she saw Severus quickly put his wand back in his pocket, looking rather unnatural with his scarlet and gold hair. Lily was impressed; she knew that Severus liked the Trip Jinx, but it was a wonder how he managed to get a direct hit at Potter from so far away. His unerring accuracy was amazing.

"I guess Potter deserved to be brought down a peg or two," she said rather derisively. Liz laughed and said, "Yeah – after that stupid thing he pulled last night, he had it coming to him." Lily's grin faded as she remembered how upset Mary had been, and how she had resolved to avoid Peter even if he apologized to her, so embarrassed was she with his attempt to kiss her.

Mary proved to be as good as her word by completely cold-shouldering Peter for the better part of the next two weeks. He had apologized profusely to her as soon as he'd met her at breakfast the morning after the incident, and she'd appeared to accept it, but she was keen to give no one any more reasons to tease her with Peter (indeed, the whole House seemed to be doing it). Personally, Lily felt that Peter was being treated rather harshly by Mary, but she wasn't going to interfere; her previous experience with meddling had taught her to stay away from it.

"And that's that, really – Peter goes around looking woebegone all the time, but it's not like you can do anything about it, can you?" she asked Severus rhetorically one Thursday afternoon near the end of November. They were sitting in the library doing their Defence Against the Dark Arts homework, and most unusually, Liz had joined them that day. To Lily's relief, Liz and Severus had been cordial if not completely friendly with each other, and she was happy that her two best friends were at least trying to get along with one another for her sake.

"Hmm," said Severus thoughtfully, "You could always give that lump a shove from me, that would set him right." He grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sev – be nice," she said. Liz snorted from next to her and said, "That's like asking a whale to fly." Lily shot a pained look at Liz, whose eyes were full of mischief, and Severus smirked. "Huntington's right," he said, "I'm not _nice_ per se." Lily shook her head and said, "Nah – you're plenty nice enough for me." He glowed, and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Liz smirk slightly, too.

"You two done?" she asked, and Severus nodded. "Not yet," said Lily, a little fretfully, "I mean, I still don't understand – the Grindylow's fingers are brittle, and one kick or punch can break them – but if you're underwater, what're you going to do? How do you make it release you, if it's holding you? Remember, it's a lot harder to move underwater –"

"Er – your wand is not exactly for show, you know," said Severus dryly, looking amused. Liz laughed and said, "Yeah – just use a spell at them, and they'll let you go!"

"But what spell?" she asked, turning her gaze from Liz's sea-green eyes to Severus's black ones. Severus snorted and said, "There's a lot of spells – the Stunning Spell, the Impediment Jinx, the Revulsion Jinx – take your pick!"

"Oh, yeah – that's right!" said Lily, smacking her palm on her forehead. "Still – how will these spells work underwater, if you can't get the incantation out loud?"

"Well – there's a few things that allow you to breathe underwater," said Severus thoughtfully. "Take Gillyweed, for instance – you sprout gills if you eat it, so it allows you to breathe underwater – if you get the incantation out, the spell will work!"

"In that case, I like the Impediment Jinx," said Lily decisively, and began to add that last bit to her essay. "Really? The Impediment Jinx?" Liz asked her sceptically as she began to roll up her completed essay. "What? It's effective!" she said, a little defensively, and Liz snorted. "That's because it's the only spell you know out of the ones Snape listed!" she said shrewdly, and Lily smiled at her sheepishly. "Unfortunately, that _is_ true," she said, and Liz laughed knowingly. "Give me the Stunning Spell any day," she said firmly, as the three of them began to walk out of the library. Severus made a small noise of scepticism, and Liz turned to him.

"What, d'you think it's a bad idea?" she asked him, a little aggressively. He continued to smile.

"The Revulsion Jinx will be more effective," he said smoothly. "It forces your target to release whatever it is holding – so isn't it good if it releases you?"

"But the Stunning Spell – it just _stuns_ your opponent – knocks them out," said Liz, holding her ground as they walked along the corridor. "A knocked-out opponent is easy to deal with."

"Maybe so, but if its grip was strong before it got knocked out, you'll have a hard time to prise its fingers off you –"

"And how exactly will the Revulsion Jinx work underwater? As far as I know – it sends red, burning sparks above ground, but what of it underwater?"

"I don't know – boiling water, maybe?"

Liz snorted. "Too unreliable. I'll take something effective over something unpredictable any day."

"Well, I think the Impediment Jinx is the best," interjected Lily, and both Liz and Severus looked at her incredulously. "You're kidding, right? The Stunning Spell trumps the Impediment Jinx any day!" exclaimed Liz, and Severus shrugged. "Sorry, Lily, but I'm going to have to side with Huntington on this," he said, a little apologetically. "The Revulsion Jinx, on the other hand –"

"Yeah, we don't care, grease-hair," a cold voice sneered, and Lily stopped dead in her tracks. Beside her, Liz and Severus stopped walking too, and she looked at the speaker, a tall Slytherin whose mouth was twisted into a sneer. He had a friend walking with him too, a shorter boy who was most unpleasant-looking, with cold black eyes and slightly bestial features.

"What did you call me, McMahon?" said Severus, and Lily shivered at the edge in his voice. The tall boy grinned evilly, and she remembered why his surname – McMahon – sounded familiar; hadn't Severus jinxed him once for being rude about her? "Grease-hair," said McMahon, his sneer growing even more pronounced. "It's true, after all – isn't it?" Lily could see Severus bristle, and she hastened to her friend's defence at once. "Leave him alone," she said stoutly to McMahon, who looked almost surprised at the sight of her.

"Watch your mouth, Mudblood," he said coldly. "You should be bowing or curtseying when you talk to me – a pureblood belonging to one of the oldest families in all of England," he said proudly.

"That doesn't make you any more magic than her," said Liz calmly, but her eyes were narrowed. "She's just like you or I – a witch."

"It's a shame that purebloods such as yourself associate with slime and muck such as this Mudblood," said the shorter boy, indicating her. He had a rough voice that made the hairs on the back of Lily's neck stand up. With a jolt, she realized that he was probably the more dangerous one of the two.

"Don't call her Mudblood," Severus said angrily, and she felt a rush of gratitude towards him. _He's so brave, standing up for me like that, against his Housemates, that too_ , she thought.

"Come on – Liz, Sev, let's go – they're not worth our time," she said, trying to exude as much indifference as she could, though she was seething inside. She hated those boys for making her feel like that – unworthy, second-class, beneath them…

"Oh, is that so? Why don't you put your wand where your mouth is, Mudblood?" said McMahon derisively to her, and pulled out his own wand. The shorter boy did the same, and Lily lost no time pulling out her own wand, too. Next to her, Liz and Severus followed suit.

"You'll duel _us_ , Snape? Your own Housemates?" the shorter boy asked Severus, a little incredulously. "I will duel by the side of my friend – I don't care who's against me," said Severus, his voice rough, and she felt a surge of pride at his words.

"On your own head be it, then," said McMahon. " _Densaugeo!_ "

But Severus dodged the curse, and yelled, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " McMahon dodged, and the shorter boy yelled, " _Cados!_ " His aim was accurate, and Severus tripped and fell. The short boy advanced on him, but Liz yelled, " _Impedimenta!_ " The short boy was blasted off his feet, and he remained frozen. " _Locomotor Mortis!_ " Lily shouted, but McMahon dodged the spell. Suddenly, the shorter boy was back on his feet, his expression furious; Lily supposed that McMahon had unfrozen him with the counter-curse.

Severus sprang to his feet and yelled, " _Cuferius!_ " However, the short boy dodged the Nosebleed Hex, and yelled, " _Incisus!_ " Lily gasped as a jet of light hit Severus full in the face, and he put his hand on his cheek immediately, whimpering as if in pain. "Severus!" she shouted; filled with sudden anger, she yelled, " _Expelliarmus!_ " but McMahon dodged the jet of red light. "Oooh, the Mudblood's feisty!" he shouted, his voice thick with derision. "She wants to play, doesn't she?"

"DON'T CALL HER MUDBLOOD!" Liz screamed, enraged beyond measure. " _Ictus!_ "

Lily watched apprehensively as the Stinging Hex hit McMahon full in the face. With a scream, he fell backward, his face swelling up considerably. The shorter boy yelled in anger; pointing his wand at Liz, he shouted, " _Stupefy!_ "

"No – Liz!" Lily screamed as her friend crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Her face contorted, she yelled, "That does it! _Lumos Intensum!_ " She prayed that Severus would have the brains to shut his eyes as the bright light blinded the shorter boy, who closed his own eyes in great discomfort. " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Severus yelled, and she was happy to see that he was still going strong, which Tmeant that he'd closed his eyes as soon as she'd uttered the incantation. The short boy crumpled to the floor, rigid as a log. " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Lily shouted, and McMahon fell to the ground, also rigid.

"Liz!" Lily exclaimed and bent down next to her friend. "She'll be OK – she's only been Stunned," said Severus thickly from next to her. She looked up at him, and her mouth opened in shock as she surveyed his face; he was bleeding from the cheek and the edge of his mouth. "What happened to you?" she asked him worriedly, but he waved his hand dismissively. "A simple Cutting Jinx – nothing to worry about," he said, his voice still thick.

Lily bent over Liz and started to shake her. Liz began to stir feebly just as a cold voice called from behind, "And what is going on here?"

She whirled around. Standing behind her was a tall, slim girl with long, waist-length blonde hair. There was a green-and-silver badge on her chest that had the letter 'P' inscribed on it. She was very good-looking, but her blue eyes held no warmth; Lily thought that she looked familiar, but couldn't quite place her…

The girl looked around, seemed to take in the scene, and said, "My, my – duelling, were you? How very naughty… Let's see…" Her eyes met Lily's and her face twisted into a frown. "You ought to be punished," she said, with a glance at Liz's prone form, "For duelling in the corridors… It's against the rules, you'll do very well to remember that –"

"They started it!" Lily burst out indignantly, indicating the two fourth-year Slytherins, lying rigidly on the floor. "But you finished it, didn't you? And I see you used –" she bent over McMahon, unfreezing him, "—a Stinging Hex. So –"

"It wasn't her!" Severus interrupted excitedly. " _She_ used the Stinging Hex," he added, pointing to Liz, who was still lying on the floor. Lily felt a stab of annoyance at that, but she understood that Severus was trying to protect her, so she didn't say anything. "I don't care _who_ used the Hex," the Prefect said softly, and her cold blue eyes met Lily's emerald ones. "It's a pity I can't dock points, for you're not in my House – but I'm going to report this to Professor McGonagall, in any case – using a dangerous hex like that, you ought to be expelled, especially people like you, who shouldn't even be here –" she broke off, glaring at Lily with intense dislike.

Lily's temper rose, but she kept her mouth shut; she didn't want to earn herself a detention, for the Prefect had done nothing apart from insult her snidely… _Even if she's a Slytherin, I may_ just _get away without any detention_ , she thought. The Prefect bent over the second boy and unfroze him, too. Both boys looked sullen and angry, but she merely said to them coldly, "Hospital Wing, McMahon – and take him there, Selwyn – that's enough duelling from you two idiots." Lily glared as the two Slytherins walked off; why hadn't the Prefect taken points off them? They'd started it… And why did she look so familiar? Suddenly, her eyes widened with recognition. This girl looked a bit like Andromeda – but she was younger, with blonde hair – that had to mean she was – what was her name, now? She frowned as she remembered Black telling her the names of his cousins back in their first year – yes, this had to be Narcissa, who would now be in her seventh year.

Narcissa looked at Severus, shook her head and said, "Tsk, tsk – you're in Slytherin, boy, have some dignity! Associating with Gryffindors and the like –"

"She's my friend!" Severus burst out defiantly, with a sideways glance at her. Narcissa's lip curled, and her eyes narrowed. She pointed her wand at Severus; for a wild moment Lily thought that she would attack him, but the Prefect merely waved her wand, and Severus's cut healed immediately. "Er, thanks," he said awkwardly, but Narcissa said insolently, "You and I are going to have a long chat about who we should associate with, boy."

"You have to revive her, too!" Lily said indignantly to Narcissa, pointing at Liz, who was still stirring feebly. Narcissa sneered. "And why should I do that?" she asked arrogantly, clearly enjoying herself. "Because you're a _Prefect_!" Lily said, seething, "It's your responsibility!"

"And it's your responsibility to follow the rules!" Narcissa said, her tone amused, and Lily finally lost her temper. "Your fellow Prefect Marcus is so much better than you!" she screamed. "You're nothing but a stupid, unfair, stuck-up hag!"

There was an uncomfortable silence, and judging by Severus's shocked expression, Lily knew that she'd gone too far. "Congratulations – you've just earned yourself a detention," said Narcissa, her tone no longer amused, but full of anger. "And while we're at it – let's give detention to your friend here, too – for using the Stinging Hex. _One more word_ –" she said dangerously, as Lily opened her mouth to argue, "—and it'll be a week's worth of detentions. And as for Marcus," she added, her voice full of contempt, "He isn't even fit to lick my shoes, the stupid trans-Atlantic oaf."

Lily looked at Narcissa mutinously as the Prefect turned away and beckoned to Severus to follow her. She stopped and turned back after taking a couple of steps, however. "As much as I'd like to leave right now, I don't shirk away from responsibility," she said to Lily evenly. Pointing her wand at Liz, she whispered, " _Rennervate._ " Liz's eyes opened, and she quickly sprang to her feet, her expression alert. "Take her to the Hospital Wing if she experiences dizziness – and stay out of my way henceforth," Narcissa addressed Lily, her voice cold and disdainful. She turned around and without a backward glance, she began to lead Severus away. He looked at Lily apologetically, and she nodded at him with a comforting sort of smile; she wanted to indicate that she was grateful to him for standing up for her. He understood, and he smiled at her once before turning the corner and disappearing from view.

"What happened?" Liz asked immediately. "I got Stunned – stupid git – wait till I get my –"

"No," said Lily, in a voice of forced calm. Briefly, she told Liz what had transpired; the Prefect's arrival, her unfairness, and the fact that she and Liz had to suffer detention. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked into Liz's sea-green ones; it was her fault that her friend had been awarded a detention… Why had she flown off the handle like that? Why hadn't she kept her temper in check?

"Hey – it's OK, Lil," said Liz comfortingly, "It's fine… Don't worry about it. Maybe our detentions won't be so bad –"

"It's my first one, Liz!" she burst out piteously. "I had a clean record until now – and I've got a detention! Oh, what will Mum and Dad say?"

Liz looked at her incredulously. "You're joking, right? Lily, Hogwarts doesn't write to parents until it's something very serious, and this detention – really, it isn't a big deal!"

"It isn't?" Lily asked hopefully, and Liz rolled her eyes.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "And besides, you got a detention for straight talk – it's not your fault that what you said was the truth, and Narcissa didn't like it. But it's not surprising – the truth is a bitter pill to swallow," she added sagely, and Lily nodded, still uncertain. Liz squeezed her hand. "You stood up for me, and you got a detention for it. To me, that's worth a lot more than a stupid detention," she said warmly, looking directly at her. Gratified, Lily gave her a hug. "I probably would've got one in any case," added Liz, "Because of the hex I used."

"But she might not have given us detentions if I'd just kept my temper!" Lily burst out, and Liz snorted. "Who are you kidding, Lil?" she said incredulously. "That was a _Slytherin_ Prefect – since when are they known to be fair?" Lily nodded slightly, knowing it to be true.

"And now – let's go back to the common room to tell everyone else how Lily Evans got a detention," said Liz wickedly. Lily frowned with distaste. "Oh no – Potter and Black are going to be insufferable," she said fretfully, and Liz laughed. "It could be worse – you could be doing a detention with them instead of all by yourself," her best friend said, and Lily nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Then again, the odds are pretty much in favour of one of them doing a detention with me – the rate at which they get detentions, it won't really be a surprise." They laughed as they made their way towards the common room, and Lily began to cheer up a bit

 _I hope it isn't too bad_ , Lily thought. _My first detention…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that wasn't so bad," said Lily as she walked back to the common room with Marlene on Sunday evening. She'd just served her detention; she had had to scrub a few trophies from the trophy room clean, without using magic. Her hand ached, but she supposed it could've been worse; she hadn't had to go into the Forbidden Forest or something like that…

Admittedly, the worst part had been a lecture from Professor McGonagall about keeping one's temper and to not letting others provoke you. The professor had handed their detentions out herself; Lily had been tasked with the trophy room, and Liz was made to scrub the beds in the Hospital wing without magic.

"Yeah, I guess," said Marlene, "How's your hand?"

"Not so bad," said Lily. "It's all right… It may be sore now but it'll be better later, won't it?"

"True," said Marlene. "Just rub it a little if it aches so much." Lily nodded and they walked to the Hospital Wing in silence. Marlene had volunteered to pick them up after their detentions; she didn't mind, she'd said. The Marauders had listened sympathetically to Liz's tale before laughing at her expense for getting the detention, but they'd been quite impressed with her spellwork. "Is there a counter-charm for that bright light spell you use, Evans?" Potter had asked her. "Well, if there were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I?" she'd said dryly, and Potter had responded by sticking his tongue out to her.

Just as they turned the corridor to the Hospital Wing, Liz walked out of it. "There you are, perfect timing!" she exclaimed in relief, and the three girls set off towards the common room together. Liz looked excited, as if she were bursting to tell them something, or so Lily thought; she asked her best friend, "Why do you look so excited, was that such a fun detention?"

Liz rolled her eyes and said, "No! I just found out two very important things."

"Really? What?" asked Marlene, her eyebrows raised.

Liz looked around before lowering her voice and saying, "Well, here's how it went…"

XXXXX Liz's POV XXXXX

 _This is boring_ , Liz thought irritably as she scrubbed the bed frame. The weak afternoon sun was shining through the window, but torches lit the rest of the Hospital Wing. There was no one there; only one bed was occupied, and the curtains were drawn against it.

She scrubbed the bed frame more vigorously. She hoped that Lily was having a better time in the trophy room with Filch the new caretaker; he was downright unpleasant. She reflected upon the injustice they'd had to suffer; the Slytherins that had attacked them hadn't been punished at all. No one had called them out on their rubbish, their bias and their bullying behaviour; instead, the ones who had taught them a lesson had suffered.

At least her detention hadn't been so bad. Scrubbing was something she could do without much trouble, and Madam Whitney (or Joan as she made others call her) was pleasant and smiling; she had left Liz to her own devices after instructing her what was expected of her, and had told her to see her in her office once she was done. Well, she was almost done; only part of the last frame remained. The other bed frames looked spotlessly clean, and she felt rather proud of her handiwork. _Well, if someone makes me clean without magic under torture, I won't have any problem_ , she thought wryly as she wrung the sopping rag she'd been using in the bucket full of dirty water. She poured the water down one of the sinks in the bathroom before leaving the bucket there, and began to walk towards Madam Whitney's office.

She stopped near the last bed, the only one that was occupied and covered with curtains. With sudden curiosity, she acted on impulse and began to walk towards it, and slowly drew one of the curtains aside to see who it was. Her jaw dropped as she saw the person lying on the mattress.

It was Remus.

But he looked so different than he'd looked two days ago, when she'd last seen him. His skin was pale, and there were shadows beneath his eyes. He seemed to be sleeping, and he looked ill. _It's probably because he's seen his mother_ , she thought sympathetically. But when had he gotten back? Judging by the state of the mattress and his blankets, he had to have been there for at least a few hours. So, why had he come back early?

Her gaze travelled to his hands and arms, which rested on top of the blanket. She drew in a sharp breath; his arms had a number of scratches which all looked deep but newly healed. Had something attacked him? Did he have a pet that savaged him, prompting an early return to Hogwarts for some good medical care? Or had he taken ill at home?

She was confused. Remus was supposed to get back on Monday afternoon, which was the next day. So what was he doing there on Sunday evening, and why had he apparently been there for a few hours at least? It was most puzzling. _I'll think about that later_ , she decided, and quickly closed the curtains. Her head was still buzzing with questions as she knocked on the door to Madam Whitney's office.

"Come in," came the mellow voice, and she entered the office to find the Matron sitting behind her desk, with a friendly smile on her face. Liz said, "I've finished, Madam Whitney – you asked to see me once I was done…"

"Oh, call me Joan, dear," said the Matron, smiling even more widely. "Like I said before, Madam Whitney makes me feel old!" She laughed, and Liz smiled politely. "So, would you like a cup of tea?" asked Joan, and Liz was taken aback; she'd never heard of a teacher or the Matron offering anyone tea. "Sure," she said without thinking, and Joan smiled and began to pour her a fresh cup.

"I thought you'd want some tea," she said, "You've been hard at work all afternoon, and you did a good job, so you surely deserve it."

"Er – thanks," said Liz awkwardly, and took a sip from her cup. It was just right. "How do you know if I did a good job?" she asked Joan. "You didn't check my handiwork – I could've shirked, you know," she added impishly. Joan grinned and said, "Nah, I saw you a couple of times. Once I felt like just cleaning them magically and help you out a bit, but rules are rules – Professor McGonagall had made the terms of your detention very clear, so my hands were tied. But I thought we could at least have a cup of tea after that."

"I appreciate it, Joan – thanks," said Liz gratefully, and Joan grinned to acknowledge it. Judging the Matron to be in a talkative mood, she asked, "Er – do you know where Madam Pomfrey is, and why we're seeing so less of her this year?"

"You mean why you're stuck with me?" Joan asked shrewdly, but with a twinkle in her eyes. Liz blushed and said, "Er, no, I didn't mean it like that –" But Joan held up a hand and said, "I'm only joking, sweetie. You see, Madam Pomfrey's father – he's really ill. Dragon pox – it's difficult to recover from that, and he has a whole host of other medical issues… He's in St Mungo's, it looks bad, so Madam Pomfrey is spending time with him," she added sympathetically, and Liz nodded in understanding. _How awful_ , she thought.

"Is it terminal?" she asked softly, and Joan gave her a sad smile. "I'm afraid so," she said. "There was an offer to work as a backup Matron here, and I accepted. I'll go back to St Mungo's after Madam Pomfrey feels well enough to return." Liz nodded gravely, and looked around a little more, half-wishing that she hadn't asked about Madam Pomfrey.

Her gaze fell upon a photograph on the table. It looked old, with stationary figures; she supposed that it had been taken from a Muggle camera. There were five people in it, and Liz recognized one of them as Joan immediately, though she looked much younger – about sixteen, she supposed. She was dressed in a purple gown, and wore gold jewellery. She drew her breath in sharply once again as she saw what rested on top of the picture-Joan's head: a golden crown.

Immediately, the memory of Lily's first Divination class came to her. Lily had told her about the attack that apparently lay in her path, and that a 'golden crown' had something to do with it; she'd dismissed it as nonsense, but here was something unsettling: a person who had worn a golden crown in close proximity of her – and Lily.

"That's me – I was a queen, it was a fancy-dress party at my cousin Anna's house," said Joan, and Liz snapped back to the present. The Matron had evidently followed her gaze to the photograph. "That's my Muggle side of the family – I'm half and half, see? My mother's a Muggle. I don't see my Muggle cousins very often, though… I miss them," she added, sighing.

Liz suddenly felt very uncomfortable. The golden crown had distracted her, and she knew that she had to tell Lily immediately. She didn't believe in Divination, but the presence of the golden crown a mere few months after Professor Presprechen's prediction was not something to be taken lightly, and Liz recognized that. She finished her tea as quickly as she could, thanked Joan, and walked out of her office quickly. She paused only once as she looked at the bed where Remus lay before striding briskly outside the Hospital Wing. She had only turned the corner when to her enormous relief, she noticed Lily and Marlene walking towards her.

 _I'll tell her now_ , she decided. _No time like the present…_

XXXXX End of Liz's POV XXXXX

"So, that was that. Remus is in there; he's been there for hours probably, and Madam Whitney has a connection with the golden crown," said Liz, speaking faster than usual. It was uncharacteristic of Liz to be anything other than calm, and it made Lily nervous. "Well – as much as I'd like to ignore the Divination class – I don't think I can," she said at last. "I guess I should stay away from Madam Whitney…"

"If she's the one your tea leaves referred to, and if your tea leaves are accurate," said Marlene. "We don't know what it was referring to…"

"Yeah, and I was pretty sure I didn't believe in Divination, but there's a golden crown – so now I'm confused," said Liz. She and Marlene looked at Lily as the portrait of the Fat Lady came in sight.

Lily sighed. "We'll worry about that later – let's forget it for now. Remus – that's the more important question. What was he doing there? He is supposed to be home, right?"

"And why were his arms all scratched up?" asked Marlene, frowning. "Did he get attacked or something?"

"Plus – why is he back so early? He left just two days ago – and he probably got back a few hours ago – so what happened? Is he sick? It doesn't make much sense," said Liz.

"I know," said Lily thoughtfully. Something didn't add up. "I don't get it, either." But she meant to. She meant to understand what was going on…

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	25. Chapter 24

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **Lily's Christmas**

Christmas was coming. Lily could sense that the festiveness was present in Hogwarts as well, and Liz had told her that at Hogwarts, it was a tradition to decorate twelve Christmas trees every year. Lily wanted to experience Christmas at Hogwarts at least once, but that was not the year; she was looking forward to going home and spending the holidays with her family. She was going to visit Liz for the last three days of her vacation too, before taking the Hogwarts Express back to school. There were a few people who would be staying there, including Severus; Lily felt sad for him but there wasn't anything she could do – he didn't like staying at home for more time than he had to.

"I'll see you in about three weeks," she said, hugging him tightly as they stood at the Entrance Hall gates; it was the day they were all leaving for the holidays. "Sure," he said, a little sadly, "Stay safe, OK? I'll write to you," he added, and she nodded, a rather strained smile on her face. The last few weeks had been taxing for them both. For starters, Severus had told her confidentially that he'd been given a talking-to by a few seventh-years in his House for duelling with his own Housemates and he'd been warned: if he defended Gryffindors against any more Slytherins, he would be ostracised and become something of a pariah. He had been forced to apologize to Andrew McMahon, and he'd also been told that if he ever defied the older Slytherins again, bad things would happen to Lily. He had apologetically told Lily all of this, and the tortured expression on his face had melted Lily's heart into making the sacrifice for him: she would keep her distance from him for now. All this had put a strain on their friendship, and they hadn't been able to spend any time together; but Lily had done it for his own good. They had resolved to stay in contact with each other through letters throughout the Christmas holidays, though… That thought cheered Lily up ever so slightly…

"Come on, Lily," said Liz, and with one final friendly wave to Severus, she turned to join her best friend. Liz had been told of the situation with Severus, and while her friend had sympathized with her, Lily secretly felt that Liz happy that she, Lily, wasn't associating with Severus as much as she had been before the incident with the unfriendly Slytherins. Liz didn't trust him, and Lily didn't blame her. She was sure that Marlene and Mary didn't approve of her friendship with Severus, though they never said a word about it… But she had never cared what others thought of him. To her, he was still the sweet, kind boy who had defended her multiple times against nasty students from his own House.

Lily and the other girls spent most of the train journey trying to come up with different ideas to find out who was behind the attacks on Muggleborns. There had been another attack on the day after Lily's detention, and Lily had been saddened to learn that it had been one of the Gryffindors this time; a fifth-year boy named John Cook. Cook had been hit by a curse that caused the blood vessels to clot up, resulting in lack of blood flow to a particular organ, based on where the curse hit. He had been taken to the Hospital Wing with a blackened hand, but luckily, Madam Whitney had been able to fix him up, and within two days, he was back to normal.

"I still feel Remus has something to do with all this," said Marlene stubbornly. Liz snorted.

"Come on, Marlene – be reasonable here," she said sceptically. "Remus was in the Hospital Wing, and he looked in pretty bad shape. I don't think he attacked anyone…"

"But the timeline fits, Liz," exclaimed Marlene. Her cobalt-blue eyes shone with excitement as she added, "Look – these attacks have happened every time he wasn't there. He returned early once, he could've returned early before, too – secretly staying out of sight – yeah, it all fits!"

"No, it doesn't!" said Lily vehemently. "Marlene, you're being awfully ridiculous… Think about it. Remus has been home visiting his Mum. Why would he lie about it? He's _so_ nice… He couldn't possibly be the one attacking people!"

"I'm not saying he is!" protested Marlene. "I'm only saying that he knows something. He's not there – people get attacked. He claims he's at home – but he was lying in the Hospital Wing, all scratched up. The next day someone else is attacked during broad daylight, in the afternoon, and we don't see Remus till evening. I tell you, he's up to something. Something fishy, and worth investigating."

"Oh, will you give it a rest with your 'it could be Remus' theory!" Mary exclaimed, and everyone looked at her in surprise. Sweet, gentle Mary normally didn't get worked up, but when she did, she could be a handful to deal with; She was still not talking to Peter, and he'd given up trying to apologise to her.

"But Mary – come on! Think logically – it's possible!" said Marlene, clearly surprised with her best friend's reaction.

"Possible, yes," interjected Liz, "Probable, no. Mary's right, Marlene – we _know_ Remus, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"Exactly!" said Mary, relieved that someone else was on her side.

But Marlene wasn't ready to back down. "OK – then why was he so shifty when we asked him why he was lying in the Hospital Wing the day of your detention, Liz – when he was supposed to be home?"

Lily considered this. Marlene was right – Remus had looked at his toes, away from them, at the ceiling (as he'd made an unconvincing attempt to roll his eyes) – anywhere but at them, as he'd told them why he'd been in the Hospital Wing. He'd been mauled by the ferocious neighbour's dog, he'd said. His father had seen it fit to send him back to Hogwarts for two reasons: one, to get him good medical care, and two, to get him away from his mother in order to protect her from being infected by his wounds.

Lily and Liz had accepted this narrative without question, but Marlene hadn't been sure. She had got it in her head that Remus was up to something, and that he was lying about the neighbour's dog. While Lily did agree with her – Remus hadn't been very convincing – she'd decided to attribute his so-called shiftiness to his trauma of being bitten and scratched. Liz was with her, too, as was Mary.

"It must have been the dog!" Liz said earnestly. "He was quite a bit shocked and upset at being sent back to school just after he'd arrived home, wasn't he? Yeah, I think that's probably why he came off as unconvincing… But we know him – he wouldn't do anything like this. You're making no sense, Marlene."

"Yeah, you're saying it like Remus is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," said Lily. Mary laughed, but Liz and Marlene just looked at her, confusion on their faces. "Er – _who_?" asked Liz, looking a little amused. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "It's a Muggle book – a story where an apparently good bloke takes a potion that allows him to lose his conscience and do things he wouldn't normally have done – rather like a good and bad side to someone's personality, see? He commits crimes and has no recollection of it afterwards…" Marlene and Liz still looked confused, and Lily's voice trailed off; she felt that she was doing a bad job explaining R. L. Stevenson's highly-rated classic. "Never mind," she said quickly. Mary stifled a giggle, and Marlene turned to Liz before continuing to speak.

"But then, Liz – you told me about James and Sirius – and even Peter, when you ran into them at Hogsmeade. They exchanged odd looks when you asked them about Remus, didn't they?" she asked shrewdly. "That means they know something – I'm sure of it."

"Maybe so, but it may be completely unrelated to the problem at hand," said Liz logically. "You're mixing two things, Marlene – maybe Remus does know something, and so do James and the others – but it may not even have anything to do at all with the attacks on Muggleborn students."

There was a pause, where Lily, Liz and Mary all looked at Marlene enquiringly. Marlene sighed and sank back into her seat, defeated. "All right, all right – you may be right – the attacks on Muggleborns during roughly the same time period as Remus being home is probably unrelated…"

"We can't say anything more till we know anything more," said Liz, and they all nodded. "That's fair," added Lily.

They spent the rest of the journey discussing their plans for the Christmas break. Mary was going to go to Marlene's place for a few days, and Lily was going to Liz's. They made plans to meet once during the break for yet another pow-wow at Liz's house, just before the next term began. They whiled away the afternoon playing Exploding Snap, but they were all subdued; a report of an attack in Dover the day before had dampened their spirits. Apparently, it was a Wizarding house that had been attacked, and the entire family residing in it had been murdered. The strange symbol that had appeared in Tickenham had made another appearance, terrifying people even more.

"The Dark Mark, the Prophet's calling it," said Liz as the train began to pull into King's Cross. "It appears where there's destruction and death by the Dark side – that's probably why everyone's even more scared. That symbol means terror, I tell you."

Lily shuddered. "I hope we don't see it again," she said, but she knew that her words were futile. With the war going on around them, it was likely that more attacks and deaths would occur, and with them the Dark Mark would keep making its sinister appearance. "It's so spooky," Lily added, shivering slightly as she alighted from the train, pulling her rucksack on her back. Like always, Lily never carried too many things home during the Christmas or Easter holidays. She had her clothes at home, and her robes at Hogwarts, so she didn't feel the need to pack and unpack her trunk every three months.

Liz grimaced. "I know, right? A big green skull with a dirty great snake for a tongue – disgusting!" she exclaimed, making a face. Turning to Lily, she asked, "So, a car is safe, right?"

"About as safe as a Blasting Curse," said Lily dryly, a slight smile on her face. Looking at Liz's stricken expression, she rolled her eyes and said, "Come on – relax, will you? It's even safer than a broom – trust me."

"Er – you don't like brooms, see? So for you, _anything_ is safer than a broom," returned Liz. "To be fair, if you say that a car is safer than a broom – it's not really saying much."

Lily laughed. Her parents had driven down to Cherrywood the day before, spent some time with Liz's parents, and her Dad had offered to pick up the girls at King's Cross that evening along with Mr Huntington. They were to go back to Liz's before driving back the next afternoon, or so her parents had explained in their last letter. She'd felt good after reading it; it was nice to know that her parents seemed to be getting along well with Liz's parents, considering the vast differences in their cultures… _Well, only one difference, really,_ she thought dryly… _Magic and no magic!_

"Come on, it'll be fun!" she said to Liz reassuringly. Liz snorted. "We'll see," she said. "Mum told me that she and Dad even got a – er, _fellytone_ , I think it was – installed in our home."

" _Telephone_ ," corrected Lily. "That's great! Now your Mum won't have to go through all that work to connect your fireplace with mine every time we want to talk to each other – I can call you up – just like that!" she said excitedly, snapping her fingers together.

"You'll have to teach me how that thing works," said Liz. "Mind you, I didn't take Muggle Studies because you said you could teach me all about Muggles – now do it."

"Sure," said Lily, gratified, and they waved goodbye to Marlene and Mary before walking together through the barrier that would take them back into the Muggle world.

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It was after dinner on Christmas day when Lily sat at her desk, penning a letter to Severus. She was extremely upset, in a terrible state of mind. _Christmas was supposed to be the season of joy,_ she thought furiously. _This shouldn't have happened…_ But it had. She was relieved at last that the day had ended, and she felt a stab of mingled happiness and sadness; she was happy to be going to Liz's the next day itself, and sad to be leaving her parents so soon after meeting them.

She began to write.

 _Dear Severus,_

 _Happy Christmas! I hope you had a good Christmas… Thank you so much for the box of Chocolate Frogs, did you buy it the last time we were in Hogsmeade? They're my favourite sweet, it's super of you to remember! I hope you liked my present, too._

 _Liz told me that Christmas at Hogwarts is really wizard (haha, that's a pun!). So, how was it? What did you have for Christmas dinner? And did you pull crackers, too? That part would've been fun… I hope you had a better day than I did, because I had a terrible Christmas. Terrible is putting it mildly, to be frank…_

XXXXX

"Happy Christmas!" said Lily brightly as she arrived downstairs on Christmas morning. She had just finished opening her presents, and they'd all been to her liking: a box of Chocolate Frogs from Severus (it was her favourite Wizarding sweet), a book called _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from Liz, Marlene and Mary (she supposed that her friends didn't want her to feel out of place at Quidditch matches, as was the case at times), a Five-Galleon coupon for the Diagon Alley Apothecary from the Marauders (she dismissed it as a joke, but was rather gratified with the gift; if one thought about it, she could refill her potions kit for free before the start of next year), and a rather nice tropical-patterned skirt from her parents. There was a gift from Petunia, too – a painting of a Christmas tree, but based on the brush strokes, it wasn't one of her best efforts. She didn't care, though; she had got her sister something too, and she meant to try and set things right with her that year. Lily knew that her parents were troubled by how the once-close sisters treated one another, and she had resolved to make them happy by making an attempt to mend her relationship with Petunia.

"Happy Christmas, Princess," her father greeted her enthusiastically as looked up from his morning paper. "I liked the gloves," he said, his eyes twinkling, "Nice material, that… What is it now, some kind of strong leather?"

"It's dragon hide, Daddy," she said, kissing his cheek. He ruffled her hair affectionately, and she made a face. "You know I don't like that, Daddy," she said reprovingly, but her smile gave her away. Her father laughed and said, "Wow, so dragons _are_ real – is that right?" Lily laughed. "I'm afraid so, Daddy," she said mischievously, "Though now that I think about it, I haven't actually seen one."

Just then, her mother bustled into the dining room, carrying a vessel that emitted a delicious scent. "Wow, that smells wonderful, Mummy," said Lily, breathing in deeply with her eyes closed. Her mother grinned and said, "Egg-and-sausage casserole – the lady next door gave me the recipe." Lily was pleased to see that Mrs Evans wore the same scarf she had sent her from Hogsmeade. "I love the scarf, darling – it's so _soft_!" she exclaimed, and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Happy Chirstmas!"

"And Happy Christmas to you, too," said Lily cheerfully, "The skirt is so _cute_ – I think I'll wear it at Hogwarts when the weather is warmer." Her mother grinned again and began to set the table. Breakfast passed without any untoward incident as Lily and Petunia barely exchanged a word. Lily had left Petunia's present in her bedroom itself, meaning to give it to her later. Therefore, it was after breakfast, while they were drinking tea, that Lily spoke.

"Tuney," she began tentatively, "Will you come to my room for a few minutes?"

"Why?" Petunia said, her tone a little sulky, but her expression confused.

Lily bit her lip. "I've got your present there," she said. "So, will you _please_ come to my room now?"

"All right," said Petunia, her tone still unfriendly. But she followed Lily out of the dining room, all the same. Just as they neared the staircase, Lily stole a quick backward glance at her parents; they both smiled and nodded encouragingly. She felt braver; after all, her parents were in on her plan to try and mend fences with her sister, and they approved of it.

They entered her room, and as Petunia looked around, Lily quickly retrieved a small box from her rucksack. She'd ordered it from Diagon Alley, and it had come to her at Hogwarts. She'd felt that in order to try to get back on normal terms with her sister, the present must be delivered in person. Petunia would appreciate the gesture even more. She faced her sister, smiling nervously.

XXXXX

Lily paused. The memory of what happened next was extremely painful, and she immediately felt close to tears, as she had multiple times all day. But just as she before, she suppressed her pain… With a half-glance at the wall above her bed, she continued writing furiously.

 _Anyway, I stood there facing her, and gave the present to her. She opened it – rather eagerly, I'd say – but she didn't look very happy with what she found. It was a paint bottle, Sev – the kind that changes colour – she likes painting, so I thought it would be a nice gift, see? She could paint whatever she wanted, and it would change colour – I honestly thought that she'd like it. I know she feels bad that I get to come to Hogwarts and she doesn't, and we know how much she wanted to, too… So I thought that this could make up for it to an extent. Magic paint – she may not be a witch, but she has a trace of magic in her life. I thought she'd love it! But instead –_

XXXXX

"—And it changes colour, see? That's the best part, you'll be able to enjoy all your paintings in different colours!" Lily said. She felt rather proud of herself to have gotten her sister such a thoughtful gift.

There was a pause as Petunia examined the bottle of paint. Her eyes met Lily's, and Lily was dismayed to see that her sister's pale blue gaze was hostile. "So let me get this straight – you thought I'd _like_ this – because it _changes colour_?" she said, her voice colder than the snow brushing lightly against the window outside. "Why would I want to paint something that changes colour? What if I paint a cherry, what then? If this paint becomes yellow, what is the point? Whoever's heard of a yellow cherry?" she asked, her tone mocking.

Lily took in a deep breath. "Er – look at it this way, Tuney – say you paint a tree, and it's green –then the paint changes colour to orange-red, that depicts the autumn colours! Or even – say you're painting the sky – then the colour of the sky could tell you the time of day – you can have one of those paintings that have a constantly changing sky, that way it covers the entire day –"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Petunia interrupted. "You and those other freaks – you're all alike. You think you're better than us, the normal, _common_ folk, isn't it?" she spat, and Lily shivered at the harshness of her tone. "You think you're better than us," she repeated viciously, "That is why you got me this paint, didn't you? You wanted to rub my nose in it – colour-changing paint, so _fancy_ , so _cool_ – d'you think you can patronize me? Well – here's what I think of your _stupid_ paint!" Petunia screamed, and with a violent heave, she threw the bottle of paint on the wall above the headboard of Lily's bed.

Lily watched in utter disbelief as the glass bottle shattered into a thousand pieces. Glass pieces scattered all over her bedsheet, and the paint formed a huge stain on the wall, where it kept changing colour repeatedly, from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple to black… Behind her, she heard an indignant hoot as Cavana woke up early from her usual daytime slumber. Lily looked back at her sister, still in shock, as Petunia lifted the cup of tea she'd set on Lily's table. She looked calmly triumphant, and there was a slight smirk on her face.

That smug little smirk was the final straw. Rage she had never known before coursed through her. She saw, in place of the blonde girl in front of her, nothing but a mean, callous and baleful person. Petunia was not the girl Lily had known her to be in their childhood. She had turned into someone who hated Lily with all her heart.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Lily said, her voice low, "You should _not_ have done that, Tuney." She could feel hot tears in her eyes, but she knew that they weren't a result of sadness, but anger… Looking at her sister directly, she repeated, "You should _not_ have done that."

"Oh, going to cry now, are you?" said Petunia disdainfully. "You were always a cry-baby – I guess some things never change."

"YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT!" Lily screamed, losing control completely, and in that moment, she felt the same emotion that she'd felt when she'd turned Matthew's cup into a crab so many years ago – she wanted to hurt her sister, hurt her badly in order to pay her back for what she had done with the present she'd so lovingly and thoughtfully given to her.

Before her very eyes, the teacup in Petunia's hand turned into a fat, brown rat. Petunia screamed as the rat, utterly confused, bit her thumb, before bounding over her shoulder and on her back. Yelling in dismay, Petunia fled out of Lily's room. A derisive shout of laughter escaped Lily in a voice most unlike her own. She felt powerful at the moment, so powerful…

A series of thuds brought her out of her reverie. She rushed out of the bedroom to see Petunia lying at the foot of the stairs, stirring feebly; her eyes widened with horror as she saw a dark red stain slowly forming on the carpet below, and her parents bent over her sister, calling out her name repeatedly. "Tuney!" she screamed, all thoughts of her sister's cruelty just minutes ago forgotten as she flew down the staircase. _Oh no, this is my fault… Please let her be OK…_

XXXXX

Lily paused guiltily at the memory. True, it was partially her fault that Petunia had bounded down the staircase in fear, causing her to fall just as she neared the bottom. She shuddered as she remembered Petunia's still form… She continued writing.

 _Tuney was bleeding from the head, so we decided to go to hospital. At that moment, an owl tapped onto the window, and delivered an official-looking letter – I knew instantly what it was, so I just took it but didn't open it. I decided to do the deed later – right then, Tuney was the biggest concern._

 _Anyway, we went to hospital – there weren't many people there on Christmas day – and Tuney was all right, they just gave her a thorough check-up and fixed her up. She had to take an injection for the rat bite – and she even had to have stitches put on her forehead, the cut was rather deep – but luckily, she wasn't dizzy or nauseous, as is common with head injuries. Full bed rest for the rest of the day was advised, though. In all the confusion, I didn't get a chance to tell Mum and Dad what had happened, and were they outraged… They stayed silent till we got home, though, for which I was thankful – then again, they don't like to cause a scene at public places anyway. Once Petunia had been put to bed, they asked me what had happened._

 _I told them exactly what had happened, Sev. But they were still seriously angry with me. I mean, it wasn't even my fault. OK, OK – it was, I shouldn't have lost control like that – but it just happened! It's enough to make anyone fly off the handle if they see their present being smashed against the wall. The rest of it was just bad luck, I guess._

 _I endured an hour of shouting. They said – well, they said that if this was the sort of thing I was taught at Hogwarts, they might as well put me back in my old school – at least the students there are taught good values and other such stuff. I didn't cry at all when they were yelling at me, though, but I felt terrible. Once or twice I even felt annoyed, and I argued, but that just made them angrier than ever, so I just stopped talking until the storm weathered._

 _Once everyone had calmed down, we all went up and cleaned my room. Daddy used his new dragon hide gloves – he even joked that it wasn't how he'd pictured breaking them in. I just stood there silently, feeling terrible – I really did, Sev. Then Mummy changed the sheets, gave me some bread and cheese, and said that it was all I'd be getting. I felt even worse when I heard that – Christmas dinner was something I've always looked forward to. But it was nothing compared to how I felt when I read that letter…_

XXXXX

Feeling hollow, she sat down in her chair and began to read the letter. It was from the Ministry of Magic. _Well, I can't feel any worse than I do now_ , she thought, and read:

 _Dear Miss Evans,_

 _We have received intelligence that a Transformation Spell was used at your place of residence this morning at eighteen minutes past ten. As you know, underage witches are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C)._

 _We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy._

 _Enjoy your holidays!_

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Judith Watson_

 _Improper use of magic office_

 _Ministry of Magic_

She was wrong; the letter had made her feel worse. She smiled mirthlessly. Here was she, Lily Evans, someone who abhorred breaking the rules, someone who was known as a Goody Two-Shoes by the rest of the school, someone who told people off for doing _anything_ against the rules – she was the first one, the first one out of all of them, to get a warning from the Ministry of Magic for performing magic outside of school. She couldn't help but reflect sadly upon the irony.

More mirthless thoughts came to her. She'd performed a – a Transformation Spell, of all spells. She wasn't even so good at Transfiguration – she struggled with it! And yet, here she was, being warned for performing it outside of school. Why couldn't she perform such good transfiguration at Hogwarts? My, the ironies just keep on coming, she thought sardonically.

She slumped backwards and thought about the entire day. Apart from the egg-and-sausage casserole, her day had been downright horrible. The rejection of her present, the rat, Petunia's injury, her parents scolding her, the letter from the Ministry – all of it swirled around in her head, until she suddenly stood up. She just couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to yell, to shout, to cry, to vent out her feelings – but now wasn't the time or place to do it.

A sudden inspiration came to her. _I'll go to Liz's_ , she thought. _Well, I was going to go there anyway, but I could just do it now… I'll come back when I'm feeling better, or maybe directly in the summer._ She couldn't bear to be in the same house as Petunia, not after how her sister had treated her. She just couldn't…

 _Liz has a telephone now_ , she thought. She got up and began to go downstairs. There was no one in the living room; it was dark outside, and her parents were probably in their bedroom. _I'll call Liz and ask her if I can come over for the rest of the holidays_ , she thought decisively. _Then I'll tell Mum and Dad… They'll understand, they're anyway not happy with me at the moment. Then I'll call Liz again and tell her if I'm going to be coming tomorrow or not. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do…_

She picked up the telephone and began to dial.

XXXXX

She thought about the past hour, when she had explained to her parents in the calmest way possible that while she regretted the way her sister had gotten hurt, she was so angry that she couldn't bear to stay in the same house as her for the time being. That left her with only one option – to go to Liz's. Her parents had been angry and disappointed, and had been in half a mind to not let her go anywhere, but they'd agreed in the end after she'd promised to call them up once every day.

She wrote further:

 _It took some cajoling, but they agreed. I talked to Liz again, and her parents, sweet people that they are, were all right with it. I didn't tell her the reason over the telephone, though. Mrs Huntington is coming to pick me up tomorrow via Floo Powder – I'll tell Liz when I get there. So, when you want to reply to this letter, make sure you send it to Liz's!_

 _Thanks for reading such a long letter, Severus. It means a lot to me that you did. We may have to keep our distance for now, but it feels good that you're still by my side… Have a good holiday, and I'll hopefully meet you in January!_

 _Not-so-cheerful-unlike-always,_

 _Lily_

Lily set down her quill and looked at her owl, who was quietly watching her. "Come here, girl," she whispered, and Cavana obediently stuck out her leg. Lily rolled up the parchment and tied it up with a little thread before tying it to Cavana's leg. She stroked the eagle owl's feathers and said, "To Severus, girl… And come to Liz's after you deliver the letter, OK?" Cavana gave her a knowing nod, nipped her finger affectionately, and did something she'd never done before – she thrust her head forward right into Lily's neck and rubbed it against her cheek. Lily's eyes filled with tears; she knew that her pet was trying to comfort her, and she appreciated it. She opened the window; Cavana gave her a final affectionate nip before taking off into the night.

Closing her window, Lily picked up her open rucksack. She had some packing to do…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment she came spinning out of the Huntingtons' fireplace, she immediately threw herself into Liz's arms and began to sob unrestrainedly on her shoulder. Shocked, Liz tried asking her what the matter was, but Lily wasn't paying attention; she had held her feelings in for too long, and now it was like a dam breaking. Mrs Huntington stood next to them silently, occasionally patting Lily's head and saying something soothing that she wasn't really listening to.

It took about fifteen minutes for Lily to calm down. Finally, with a steaming mug of tea in front of her, Lily explained what had happened the previous day to Liz and her mother. She didn't leave anything out; she just told it like it had happened: her present to her sister, Petunia's cruelty, her loss of temper, her anger, accidental magic and Petunia's injury… Her parents scolding her, rather unjustly, while not saying anything to her sister who had started it all… The letter from the Ministry, the warning… The memories came back to Lily one after another, and she began to sob once again as she came to the end of her tale of woe. Liz hugged her again, and Mrs Huntington stroked her hair comfortingly, until her sobs subsided into sniffs.

"Th-thanks, Mrs Huntington, for allowing me to stay here for the rest of the holidays," Lily said, trying to dry her eyes, "You must think I'm a bad person, taking liberties like this – I know I'm an imposition –"

"Sssshhhh, sweetheart, that's enough," said Mrs Huntington gently, putting her index finger onto Lily's lips. "You're _not_ an imposition, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want to. And you're not a bad person, dear – whatever made you think that?"

"I shouldn't have lost my temper like that," said Lily, and tears formed in her eyes again. "I did magic outside of school – if it happens again, I'll be expelled – oh, how could this happen, I've never broken a single rule voluntarily in my entire life –"

"Well, Lil, from the looks of it, you were perfectly justified in losing your temper," said Liz, "I have half a mind to Floo back to your house and give your sister a box on her ears." Lily looked at her friend in surprise: Liz's voice was uncharacteristically rough. Lily knew that while Liz was stoic and calm most of the time, and the most level-headed of them all, she was fiercely protective of her, and if anyone dared to do anything to her, it wasn't very unlikely for Liz to lose her temper and teach that person a lesson. While Lily appreciated Liz's support and protectiveness, she didn't want Liz fighting her battles for her. She had to do it herself.

"That's enough, Liz," said Mrs Huntington reprovingly. "No talk of hitting anyone, understood?" Liz looked mutinous, but stayed silent. Lily decided to move the conversation into safer waters.

"All the same, Liz – I turned a teacup into a rat," she said, and Liz giggled a little. "I wish I'd been there, it would've been funny to watch," she said, a little wistfully. "It was a little funny," conceded Lily. "The rat just ran up her shoulder and into her hair – she screamed, jumped and took off like a scalded cat! I mean, rats aren't so scary, are they?" she asked, as Liz let out a snort of laughter. "Yep – they're not scary at all," she said, "Now, on the other hand, if you'd set a snake on her… A really big one, like a cobra or a python or even a boa constrictor… That would've been another story." Lily shuddered slightly.

Mrs Huntington stood up. "Well, Lily, I hope you like our special Boxing Day breakfast," she said cheerfully, "Winter golden turkey – with vegetables and poached egg." Lily smacked her lips. "Sounds delicious, Mrs Huntington," she said politely. "Come on, then," said Mrs Huntington, and led the way to the dining table, and Lily and Liz followed her, Lily feeling more cheerful than before. Perhaps it would still be a good holiday after all…

Just as Lily had hoped, she had a wonderful time staying at Liz's. They completed all their homework, and spent some time walking along the beach. The sea water was cold, and it even snowed for a few days, but Lily liked it; she felt at peace with the world as long as they didn't stray out of the protective spells on Huntington Cottage and the beach next to it.

It would've been a peaceful holiday had it not been for more attacks and deaths. The Dark Mark had started to appear even more frequently now, and on New Year's Day, there was a report of an attack on a New Year's Eve party somewhere in Leicester. It was an attack in which five people were killed, with more than twenty injured. The Ministry confirmed that it was a Muggle party, and the situation remained grimmer than even, with Muggle attacks happening with alarming frequency.

"I wish we could do something about this," said Lily, as they packed their stuff up on the last day of their holidays. "Too many people are dying, and You-Know-Who is getting stronger than ever – if he's the one behind this blood purity nonsense, that is."

Liz snorted. "Blood purity," she said scathingly. "It's pathetic that people are actually supporting this maniac. We'd have died out years ago if we hadn't mixed with Muggles, wouldn't we? Everyone is human… And here is one bloke trying to wipe out Muggles and Muggleborns. I mean, doesn't he have better things to do?" Turning to Lily, she said, "Nah, there's nothing we can do, Lil. Not now, anyway – we don't know enough magic. But maybe after we pass out of Hogwarts – perhaps we can join the fight then," she added thoughtfully. Lily nodded fervently. "Yep, that sounds like a good plan," she said.

"For now, we can focus on the issue at hand," said Liz. "Small scuffles aside, there's someone at Hogwarts who is a danger to all Muggleborns – we don't know who it is, and we have to find out."

"Yes, that's right," Lily agreed. "Let's do that first."

Marlene and Mary had come over to Liz's two days ago, and the girls had discussed their plans to apprehend whoever was attacking Muggleborn students. So far, after careful thinking, they had figured out that the attacks took place at the end of every month, within twenty-eight or twenty-nine days of each other. Mary was sceptical about the reason for counting the number of days between attacks, but Lily remained firm on it; she was sure that it was significant. Mary had attributed her wanting to quantify things to her liking for Arithmancy, and Lily hadn't debated that point; it was, after all, probably true.

Besides, she had had a letter from Severus, too – he'd supplied information that there had been no attacks over the holidays, though he'd been confused as to why she was asking him that. This particular fact had strengthened Marlene's resolve that Remus knew something or had something to do with it; they had all tried to convince her otherwise, but she'd remained adamant. She had also pointed out that the days on which the attacks had happened were days when Remus was supposedly home, and yet, Liz had once seen him in the Hospital Wing when he shouldn't have been there. Marlene remained firm in suspecting Remus of knowing something, and the others had dropped it for now.

Thinking carefully, they had come up with a plan; firstly, they would wait by the end of January to see if any more attacks took place. If so, they would involve the boys but not Remus, following which they could keep a watch on possible suspects. Lily and the others were sure that the perpetrators were Slytherins, who were most vocal about blood purity. It had become a thing of paramount importance that they learn the Disillusionment Charm, should they have to spy on someone. The Black Smoke spell, along with the Light Intensifying Spell, were good for a quick getaway, but didn't serve their purpose if they wanted to spy. Liz's father had demonstrated the Disillusionment Charm, inspiring them to double their efforts to learn it.

 _I hope we find out what's going on,_ she thought as she fed Cavana an extra-large owl treat. _I hope we do it soon…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's note:** In Philosopher's Stone, Petunia rants about Lily turning teacups into rats. I thought it'd be funny if this was the incident in question. Cheers!


	26. Chapter 25

Thanks for the review, Filtercoffee (nice name, btw). Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

" **The only one who can fight the darkness within you – is you."**

"Come on, hurry up!" Lily said excitedly to Liz as they walked towards the DADA classroom. "Professor Walcott hinted that she may start a new topic today, which means we're done with Dark Creatures – and I can't wait to find out what it is!"

"Will you calm down!" said Liz with exasperation. "It's just a class – not like Grant Anderson is coming," she added, panting slightly to keep up with her. Lily looked at her blankly, and Liz rolled her eyes. "He's the Captain of the England Quidditch team – never mind," she said quickly. "Blimey – I haven't seen you this excited about a class since – well, since about an hour ago, when we had Transfiguration," she quipped instead.

"Yeah, and we know how _that_ went," replied Lily gloomily. Liz made a face; Lily was referring to lecture that she had received from Professor McGonagall after their Transfiguration class. Apparently, it hadn't yet leaked out to the rest of her classmates that she had received a warning from the Ministry for using magic outside of school, but Professor McGonagall knew; she spent fifteen minutes with Lily, telling her that she hadn't expected this from _her_ , of all people, and that she hadn't been admitted into Hogwarts to break one of the most important rules of the magical world. Lily had felt worse than she had when Petunia had smashed her present against the wall. She still wasn't speaking to her sister, but she was almost back to normal with her parents.

"Ahh, come on – who cares?" said Liz dismissively. "Don't take it so much to heart, Lil – it's OK, it wasn't deliberate." Lily's mood lifted slightly at that, and she said, "I guess not." Liz punched her lightly on the arm and said, "Look at it this way – if it had been James or Black who had used magic instead of you, they'd be focusing on more important things – such as the rat that ran up your sister's neck, for instance." That brought a smile to Lily's face, and she laughed just as they reached the classroom. The Professor was already present, and two benches at the front were free, so Lily led a faintly protesting Liz to occupy those.

"Welcome back, class – I hope you all had a good Christmas," said Professor Walcott brightly, and Lily gave a tiny little snort as she remembered her own Christmas. "But now – it's time to get back into study and learn mode – after all, this is a school, and contrary to popular opinion, students actually _do_ learn something here." The class laughed, and Professor Walcott smiled indulgently. "Right," she said, "We have two more Dark Creatures to cover – I know, I know, I'd told you all that we'd be moving on the Hexes and Curses after Christmas," she added, as most of the class let out wistful sighs, "But there remain a couple of Dark Creatures that we simply must cover – considering the environment of war outside, the Other Side may align themselves with these creatures in order to gain an advantage, and we must be prepared for all possibilities."

Lily looked at Liz sombrely; this wasn't how she'd envisioned starting off a new DADA class right after Christmas break. She wasn't the only one; the rest of the class seemed to be wearing solemn looks as well. Perhaps Professor Walcott seemed to realize the effect she'd created, because she said lightly, "No need to worry about that now – the best way to be prepared is to take action. Now – give me a show of hands – how many of you know what Dementors are?"

Lily raised her hand slowly – Severus had once explained to her what they were, but she couldn't remember much – except for the fact that they guarded the Wizard prison, Azkaban. She frowned as she tried to recall what they could do – didn't they suck out people's souls? She shuddered slightly at the thought.

"Good – it looks like about fifteen of you know what they are," said Professor Walcott. "Now – what about werewolves?" At that, nearly everyone raised their hands. "All right – it appears that Dementors are less well-known," said Professor Walcott briskly. "So we're going to start with Dementors today – then we'll do werewolves – and that'll be all! That's the end of Dark Creatures – we'll be moving on to Hexes and Curses after that." A murmur of excitement ran throughout the class.

"Right, let's get started," said Professor Walcott, a slight smile on her face. "Turn to page one-hundred-and-fifty-seven of your textbooks." Lily did as was instructed and came across a picture of a Dementor – a tall, hooded creature, with rotting arms and covered completely by a black cloak. Just looking at it made her feel a sense of foreboding.

"Right – so, Dementors," began Professor Walcott. "They're among the Darkest creatures in the world. Physically – a Dementor is twelve feet tall, and covered in a dark cloak. It's hooded, too – it remains hooded most of the time. Its body – its body is greyed and looks decayed – rather like a rotting corpse." She smiled sardonically. "It can fly – well, glide," she said. "It has no eyes – it's blind, see? But don't let that make you think you can escape it because it cannot see you. That's right – it has other ways to detect you. Nothing tangible, like smells, or movements, or your voice – but something abstract."

Her voice dropped to a whisper, and Lily leaned forward to catch her every word. "It can sense your presence by your emotions. Yes, that's right – your _emotions_. A Dementor doesn't need food to survive. It feeds on human happiness, joy, jubilation – just about anything positive, even good memories. And that's not all – it also feeds on light. Happiness, light and warmth – that is its food."

 _Wow, it sounds horrible_ , Lily thought, wincing slightly. The professor asked, "Now – based on what I have said so far – who can tell me what will happen when you get too close to a Dementor?" There was a pause, and Lily looked around; two hands were up in the air, Potter's and Remus's. "Yes, Mr Lupin – what do you think will happen?" asked Professor Walcott.

"Well – I think that happiness and all positive memories will be sucked out of you, leaving you in a state of despair and depression," said Remus, a little tentatively. Professor Walcott smiled and said, "That's right – ten points to Gryffindor. Well done, Mr Lupin – a good start. Any more effects anyone else can think of? How about you, Miss Evans?" said the Professor, suddenly turning to her.

She hazarded a guess. "Er – you said it feeds on light and warmth – so won't it get dark and cold?"

Professor Walcott smiled brightly. "Well done, Miss Evans – your mind works the right way," she said, and Lily glowed. "Ten points to Gryffindor – good girl," the Professor added, and Lily smiled widely; beside her, Liz rolled her eyes.

"As Miss Evans and Mr Lupin have kindly summarized – when you get too close to a Dementor, everything positive – be it a feeling or a memory – will be sucked out of you. It'll get cold, very cold indeed – and dark, too. The Dementor can't see you, but it can sense you – and that will be enough for it to attack you," she added grimly. She looked at her watch and said, "Now – we have about twenty-seven minutes, so I want you all to read the first three pages of the chapter on Dementors. Once everyone is done, I'll take questions – and then I'll demonstrate."

Lily exchanged a confused look with Liz; what did the professor mean when she said _demonstrate_? Was she going to bring a real Dementor to class? Liz shrugged slightly, and bent down to her textbook; Lily followed suit and began to read.

A few minutes later, when everyone had finished reading, Professor Walcott asked, "Well – any questions?" No one raised their hand, and the professor grinned. "Well – you lot seem to be a bright bunch," she said dryly, and everyone laughed. "Now – I'm going to demonstrate what happens when there's a Dementor attack – by a number of spells." Lily gave an audible sigh of relief, and the professor turned to her. "Oh, I'm not going to bring a real live Dementor to class, dear," she said, smiling, and Lily smiled back. "Don't worry – as long as Professor Dumbledore is Headmaster, no Dementor will enter this castle."

She raised her wand and said, "First, no lights. _Umbrunda!_ " A jet of blackness shot out of her wand and spread over the classroom; within seconds, Lily couldn't even see her textbook in front of her. The darkness was all-consuming, and Lily groped to her right until she found Liz's hand; Liz seemed to be doing the same, and she squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly as she found it. "This is a useful little spell, everyone," came Professor Walcott's voice, "It sends out a wave of darkness – handy if you want to make a quick getaway."

 _This is rather like the Black Smoke Spell that Liz uses_ , thought Lily, as the professor said, "Next – cold. _Frigidus Ventus!_ " An intense wave of cold swept over Lily, and she hugged her free hand closer to her chest. She was beginning to shiver. _Wow – this is mad_ , she thought. _Dementors are_ this _bad?_

"And finally – a Happiness-Draining Spell," said Professor Walcott. "This is a difficult spell to learn, and it's only temporary – doesn't last more than a minute, I believe – but it's going to be a long minute, so brace yourselves. _Demissius!_ " And suddenly, without warning, Lily's head filled with terrible thoughts.

She was ten, and Petunia was telling tales on her and Severus to their parents – she was eleven, they were at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, and Petunia called her a freak and walked away – it was Christmas, and Liz was telling her about Mary being attacked – she was quarrelling with Petunia again – the Marauders were attacking Severus, and she was feeling bad that she'd thought Potter was actually a decent bloke, feeling bad at how he had almost managed to trick her as he'd supposedly pleaded with her to believe him – then it was Christmas again, and Petunia was throwing her present on the wall –

She could feel her eyes fill up with tears. The last part brought back more painful emotions – her inability to mend her relationship with her sister – how hard she'd tried, but how Petunia kept rejecting her efforts – how Petunia behaved with her, her sister's jealousy and hatred, and the fact that they would probably never bury the hatchet and remain forever separated –

Suddenly, the cold winds stopped. The torches were lit once again, and the room filled with warmth and light, as it had been before Professor Walcott's demonstration. She looked around the classroom, dimly aware of the fact that tears were running down her cheeks freely. Everyone looked discomfited: the faces in the classroom held a variety of emotions – people were looking sad and angry and uneasy, all at the same time… And yet, she saw Marlene, Mary and even Potter looking at her with concern.

Next to her, Liz was looking at her with mingled pity and comfort; her friend squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Lily knew at once that Liz understood why she was crying – Liz was the only one who knew what had transpired between her and Petunia in the recent past. But why was everyone else looking at her like that? She threw an inquiring sort of look at Liz, who seemed to read her mind, for she answered delicately, "You let out a sob, Lil – was it Petunia?"

She nodded slowly, turning to the front, and her eyes met Professor Walcott's brown-eyed gaze. The teacher had an extremely tender expression on her face, and her eyes never left Lily's own as she announced, "All right, everyone – that's all we have for today. Read up on Dementors – we'll be going into more detail next time. Class dismissed."

Quickly wiping her cheeks, Lily began to busily pack up her things. She didn't want any more people to realize that she'd been crying. She hadn't seen anyone else cry, though: not even Mary, who was the most sensitive of them all. So why had she been unable to control herself? Why had she gone to pieces like that? She felt bitterly ashamed of herself, and she avoided everyone's eyes as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"One moment, Miss Evans – will you stay, please?"

 _Oh dear_ , she thought. _I guess the professor wants me to tell her why I was crying_ …

"Do you have any more classes today, Miss Evans?" the professor asked her gently. She shook her head no, and the teacher said, "Good – come on, then…" She turned and began to limp slowly towards her office, beckoning to Lily to follow her. The rest of the class had already left, but Liz had lingered; Lily gestured to her best friend to go on ahead and Liz obeyed, albeit rather reluctantly. Sighing, Lily entered Professor Walcott's office.

"Sit down, Lily," the professor said kindly, and Lily sat, looking around. The office was bright, _rather like Professor Walcott's personality_ , she thought. There was a trunk in the corner, and a little stove stood next to it. On top of a table on the other side of the trunk was a top-like object and a long probe. A mirror was mounted on the wall behind the trunk. Her gaze travelled from the cabinet, which contained potions bottles and ingredients, to the wall behind the professor, on which several pictures of a Quidditch team hung.

There was one picture on the table in front of her that caught her eye in particular. It was a picture of a remarkably handsome man standing right next to a radiant-looking Professor Walcott, who held a tiny, sleeping baby in her arms. _That had to mean that the man in the picture could only be her husband_ , thought Lily, unable to take her gaze away from the smiling faces of Professor Walcott and the handsome man.

"So – what was it that made you so upset?" Professor Walcott asked Lily, as she placed a kettle on the little stove. Lily debated whether to tell the teacher or not, but Professor Walcott's kind face made the decision for her. She narrated in detail what had happened over Christmas, and she was in tears once again by the end of it. Wordlessly, Professor Walcott limped over to her and hugged her close; Lily let her tears flow freely as she clung to the teacher, feeling ashamed at making such a fool of herself, but unable to stop crying at the same time. Once she'd calmed down a bit, Professor Walcott pushed a cup of tea in her hand.

"There, there, dear – it's not your fault –" she said comfortingly. "It seems like your sister is being nasty to you on purpose, because she's jealous of your abilities – the best course of action would be to ignore her. There's no need to even try to be nice to a person who doesn't deserve it."

"But she's my sister!" Lily exclaimed. The professor smiled sadly once again.

"Sweetheart, blood may be thicker than water – but the relationship of being a sister needs to be earned; it shouldn't be in place by default. Your sister clearly has some problems with you, but no good will come out of you trying so hard to make things right if she doesn't want to. You've done enough. The Quaffle is in her side of the pitch now – so if she wants to mend fences, let her try. Let her be the one to take the first step. You don't have to go to her and get your self-respect blown to pieces."

There was a pause as Lily drunk all of this in. The teacher was right, she realized… She didn't have to feel bad about what happened – if anyone should feel bad, it was Petunia. _My conscience is clear_ , Lily thought strongly to herself as she sipped her tea. She realized that she'd been more upset that she'd let on – and the Happiness-Draining Spell had brought all that emotion to the surface once again. And yet – she felt lighter than before, after talking to Professor Walcott. She smiled a genuine smile, and the Professor grinned back at her. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes, loads better, Professor," she said cheerfully. "Thank you," she added sincerely.

"No problem," said Professor Walcott warmly. "Happy to help..."

Lily's eyes travelled to the photo of the teacher's family. _They all look so happy_ , she thought. _So happy..._

"Yeah, that's my family," said Professor Walcott, evidently following Lily's gaze, and Lily turned to her quickly. The teacher was looking at her steadily, and Lily couldn't quite understand the expression in her doe-soft eyes, which were surprisingly hard. "But one must never go by pictures – quite often, photos and pictures lie." Her voice was uncharacteristically harsh, and Lily wondered why it was so. Something wasn't right – indeed, the teacher's beautiful face was no longer sunny, but instead, filled with intense emotion...

"Er – if you don't mind me asking, Professor – why is it that you have to walk with a limp?" Lily asked softly and curiously. Professor Walcott's features darkened, and Lily immediately regretted asking her that question; but the teacher replied, suddenly sounding tired, "They – the people who captured me last year – they wanted information. They wanted to know what we knew – how we were tracing their movements, how we were tracking them down – who was in charge what operations – all of that. I refused to talk, and they tortured me – they used Dementors, and when that didn't break me, they resorted to a number of Spells, one of which involved a Rotting Curse on my ankle." Lily winced, and the professor continued, "That spell causes your muscles to rot painfully… It was hell, but I somehow got through it… When I was rescued, the Curse was contained – but the damage to my ankle was permanent, and the best the Healers at St Mungo's could do was to fix it enough to let me walk – but it deprives me from making any quick movements. I'm still hopeful of going back to being an Auror, though," she added, sighing.

Lily nodded solemnly. She could see how difficult it would be, to limp around all the time... But there was something else bothering her. "Er – Professor?" she asked tentatively. "Er – what did you mean when you said that photos – er, lie?" Professor Walcott's features hardened, and Lily wondered fretfully if she would be told off for her impertinence... But there was a moment's pause, and the teacher burst into speech.

"That's my husband – David," she said heavily, pointing to the handsome man in the photograph, "Or Dave, as I called him – when we both went to Hogwarts. And that's my son, Nicholas – Nick for short. I loved them both so much..."

Lily drew in a sharp breath. Not daring to hear the answer, she whispered, "I don't understand, professor."

Professor Walcott sighed. "What I mean, sweetie – is that we all seem so happy in that photo. But the truth is a lot different – you see, Dave – Dave was with me that night, at that raid – when I was captured," she said, her voice soft – yet still, steady. "And he – he didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, her voice tight. Professor Walcott smiled sadly. "I'm sorry too – I still wish I could have saved him, but I couldn't. I couldn't..." Lily felt nothing but sympathy. Petunia and her nastiness seemed to be miles away... She wondered if she should say something, but the teacher continued, "And that wasn't even the worst of it... You see, with Dave gone, I was filled with anger and determination – I couldn't let them break me, see? I remained strong, I resisted them – but my stubbornness, that was probably a big mistake. They took Nick, Lily," she whispered, her expression taut. "They took him, they tortured him in order to break me. And then – when I still wouldn't give them what they wanted – they killed him. My baby – my only son..."

Lily could feel hot tears in her eyes again. _Professor Walcott is so nice_ , she thought... She didn't deserve this... She wondered how difficult it must be for her – one moment, to be so happy, with a husband and a son – only to have it all snatched away from you. It is a wonder how she still has the will to live, she thought with admiration as she looked directly at the teacher, whose eyes were full of tears, too. It seemed that she had let Lily take a glimpse behind the happy facade that was visible to everyone else, hiding the pain underneath... Aloud, she said, "I'm so sorry, Professor – I'm so sorry…"

"That is what I feel and hear every time a Dementor gets close to me – it is what I heard for most of last year, when I was taken," Professor Walcott said softly, and Lily drew in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry," she said again, "I didn't mean to bring up all the terrible stuff that happened, Professor..." But the teacher waved off her apology. "Look, sweetheart," she continued, "Loss doesn't go away. I don't think it ever will. But taking action helps with the pain. And so long as I teach you all – I am happy. Dave and Nick wouldn't want me to hide away – they'd have wanted me to move on, to get on with my own life – and that, that gives me the strength to continue, to live – to take each day as it comes, and to be happy."

There was a pause as Lily sat there, listening. Professor Walcott's beautiful face was sad, but her eyes were doe-soft once again. _I don't think she's much talked about this_ , thought Lily. _That is why she said a lot…_ The professor was speaking again. "That's why this job interests me," she said, somewhat strongly, "It allows me to interact with children, with teenagers, and help them with their problems..."

"But my problems are nothing compared to what you have to hear when you're next to a Dementor, Professor," said Lily piteously. The Professor smiled grimly. "Well – to each their own, I guess." There was another pause, and Lily debated whether to ask the Professor anything more. She decided that she wouldn't; this much was enough for one day.

As if to bring the conversation to where it had been before, the professor said sombrely, "Dementors are amongst the foulest creatures in the world, Lily. Wherever they go, they bring despair and darkness, so you'd best steer clear of them…" Lily looked up. "Aren't there any ways to defend against them, then?" she asked fretfully.

The Professor grinned slightly and said, "Of course there are… But think of it like this. All the effects of Dementors – the darkness, the depression, the despair that is within you, that they bring to the surface – the only one who can fight those, is _you_. No one else can fight your pain, but you – _you can_. And that is why, to defeat these vile creatures, you need to be strong. Strength of mind, strength of emotion – these things drive Dememtors away."

Lily took all of this in solemnly. "But Professor," she said earnestly, "Aren't there any – er, _tangible_ ways to fight Dementors?" Professor Walcott smiled at that and said, "Very good, dear – of course there are tangible ways, no doubt – but that's the next lesson."

Lily understood the dismissal and stood up. "Thank you for the tea and advice, Professor," she said, and Professor Walcott smiled too. "You're welcome, sweetie," she said kindly. "I don't want one of my best students to get upset over something so trivial – so don't give your sister any more attention she deserves, OK? I can understand, and I can relate – I know what exposure to Dementors feels like," she added, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Lily nodded solemnly and exited the office, her thoughts still on the teacher's tale. She couldn't wait to find Liz and tell her this – it was a harrowing tale, and her respect for the professor increased exponentially. She seemed to be a most brave person…

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Nothing of note happened in the next few days, unless one counted Lily keeping her distance from Severus. They communicated via letters, just like they had during the holidays; Lily felt bad for Severus, who was still being cold-shouldered by Mulciber, although Avery and Rosier were still friendly with him. She didn't think much of Mulciber, though; just looking at him made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There was something creepy about him.

The girls had also forced Marlene to stand down, when she'd voiced her inclination towards confronting Remus. She was growing more and more obsessed with Remus being the culprit, or at the very least, knowing something. Nothing the other girls said would make any difference to her, until they finally agreed to follow him in order to actually see where he went the next time he was going home.

"I don't think all of us should follow him," said Liz practically. It was fifty-six days since the last attack back in November. "According to the pattern, there should be an attack today – so we need to be alert. We cannot let him out of our sight," said Marlene, with feeling. "It's _not_ Remus, Marlene – and today we'll understand it once and for all!" said Lily, feeling a little exasperated. Marlene could be curiously stubborn and one-track-minded at times.

"Yes – we will," said Marlene firmly. They were all seated in the common room, to wait for Remus in order to follow him. "He looked so _odd_ in class today – when we were discussing werewolves, in DADA – it's like he knows that someone's going to get attacked tonight. He may even be doing it himself –"

"What rubbish!" Lily exclaimed.

"How did he get all scratched up, then?" countered Marlene.

"It was the dog!"

"Or so he says..."

"I believe him – he's my friend."

"He could be lying –"

"All right – enough," said Liz firmly, and Lily and Marlene stopped talking at once. "We'll find out tonight – once and for all. Now, who is going to follow him? Only one of us should – he's not so blind as to not notice everyone following him –"

"I'll do it," volunteered Lily. "I'd love a chance to vindicate him."

Mary, who had been sitting silently all this while, spoke up. "No, Lil – if someone's going to get attacked tonight, you'll be an easy target!"

"I appreciate your concern, Mary," said Lily bullishly, "But I can take care of myself."

"Mary has a point," conceded Liz.

"Fine!" said Lily, irritated. "Toss a coin, then – one who wins most tosses gets to go!"

"Fair enough," said Marlene, and produced a Galleon from her pocket. "Serial number versus blank – call it!" She tossed the coin. "Number!" shouted Lily, and to her relief, the coin landed with the number facing upwards. "Ha!" said Lily triumphantly, and Marlene made a face. "Fine – I'm out. Now let's toss between Liz and Mary. Call it!" She tossed the coin in the air once again.

"Number!" called Mary, but this time the coin landed with its blank side up. "It's between you two now," said Marlene. "Call it!" She tossed the coin for a third time, just as Liz called, "Blank!" But once again, the coin landed with the numbered side facing upwards. Grinning, Lily said dryly, "Well, at least the coin believes that I can take care of myself."

Rolling her eyes, Liz said, "But still – be careful."

"Don't worry – I will," said Lily reassuringly, just as Remus came down the stairs, a bag slung over his shoulders. He waved half-heartedly at them, and they waved back; he exited the common room, walking slowly. Lily noted that he looked ill and tired himself.

"Give him a half-minute head start," suggested Marlene, and Lily nodded. About half a minute later, she waved at her friends, and climbed out of the portrait hole. She started off in the general direction of Dumbledore's office; after all, that was the place Remus said he went to in order to travel home quickly.

Pretty soon, she spied him walking just as slowly as before. She wondered why he was shuffling like that – he was an energetic person, and this sort of walk didn't suit him. _It's odd_ , she thought as she stealthily followed him. It was only about four o'clock in the afternoon, but the sky had started to darken steadily; pretty soon, it would be pitch-black. There were no clouds, though – _that means it probably won't snow tonight_ , thought Lily.

Ahead of her, Remus turned a corner. She followed him, and was surprised to see that he was walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing, and not Dumbledore's office. _That's odd_ , she thought... _Where is he going?_ Her confusion increased as he reached the Hospital Wing and entered; why was he going there? Did he mean to use _that_ fireplace? But why?

Lily didn't enter the Hospital Wing corridor; she stayed around the corner. She debated to herself whether or not she should enter the Hospital Wing; she decided against it. _Maybe I'll wait here for about ten minutes – then I'll enter to see where he is, if he doesn't come out_ , she thought.

But she didn't have to wait that long, for Remus came out in five minutes. What was more astonishing was the fact that Madam Whitney was with him. Lily fled as they approached, and turned another corner in order to hide, but to her relief, they didn't come her way. Her confusion mounting, she followed them stealthily once again, hoping that they wouldn't hear her. The castle was deserted, and she supposed that everyone was staying inside their common rooms, near the warmth of the fire. She was starting to wish that she were there, too… But she ploughed on behind her quarry.

She initially thought that they were headed for Dumbledore's office, but they walked in the opposite direction... She followed them, still confused, as they made for the Entrance Hall gates. Madam Whitney opened the gates, and walked out, with Remus trailing weakly after her. Lily decided against following them; she simply climbed a floor and found a window that offered her a view of the grounds. She spied two figures walking away from the castle, towards the Whomping Willow; they were unmistakeably Madam Whitney and Remus.

Questions exploded in Lily's head like fire-crackers. Where were they going? Why were they being secretive? And how would they get so close to the Whomping Willow? Shouldn't it hit anyone that goes close to it? Just as she thought that, the Whomping Willow seemed to freeze, as if by magic (which it probably is, thought Lily dryly). Remus and Madam Whitney seemed to be descending into the tree, for they vanished from view… She sat herself down on the window-sill and waited.

Lily was puzzled. What in the world was going on here? She took a deep breath and began to organize her thoughts. What did she know so far? One, Remus supposedly went home once every month, but based on that day's events, she wasn't so sure anymore. Apparently he'd been in school the whole time, under the – the _Whomping Willow_ , of all things… Well, that seemed to explain why he was lying in the Hospital Wing where Liz had seen him, when he was supposed to be home…

Lily frowned as she thought. Two, he himself looked ill every time he has to go home. Could that possibly mean that Remus – _Remus_ had the illness he'd told her his mother suffered from? She shuddered. _That is so sad_ , she thought… But then, it couldn't be – he seemed to be so fit overall, save those two-three days every month – _Nah, that can't be it_ , she thought. _He must be suffering from something else…_

She looked outside the window. The sky was pitch-black now, and the moon had just risen in the west. It was a full moon night; due to the snowfall that had been taking place recently, Lily realized that she was probably seeing the moon itself for the first time in about a fortnight. _It looks familiar_ , she thought… _It looks like something I've seen in the DADA classroom_ –

All of a sudden, she felt an adrenaline rush. She understood what the full moon looked like – _it looks like Remus's boggart_ , she thought excitedly. But why would he be scared of the moon? It was so harmless – and so far away – so why?

 _Unless_ , she thought – _unless the moon affects him in an adverse way!_ She remembered that day's lesson on werewolves. What had Professor Walcott said? Werewolves need the moon to transform – moonlight from the full moon causes them to change from their human form to their wolf form, and become dangerous – so that had to mean –

Lily's breath caught in her chest. No, that couldn't possibly be it. Remus – a _werewolf_? Preposterous. She didn't know much about them, but she'd paid attention in that day's class… _A werewolf is a danger only to people_ , she recalled Professor Walcott saying. So how in the world would Dumbledore have allowed Remus to attend Hogwarts? That's proof enough – Remus isn't a – a _werewolf_ , of all things – he was her friend – her friend who she set out to exonerate today –

But a niggling doubt came to her. She had pieced the pattern of the attacks to every twenty-eight or twenty-nine days. She frowned, thinking to herself, looking at the full moon outside… _How long does a lunar cycle last? About twenty-eight or twenty-nine days, isn't it? Oh God – this means that Remus is_ –

Her heart hammering, she stood up. She was confused, excited, and a little scared at the same time… _Remus's boggart is the moon_ , she thought. _He claims to go home every month, or more precisely, every twenty-eight or twenty-nine days… And based on today's full moon, it's obvious that he goes to the Whomping Willow, to whatever place that lies beneath it every month – to transform?_

Her thoughts went to the Whomping Willow. It had been a small tree when she'd arrived at Hogwarts, but it was now colossal; had it been planted to keep people from running into Remus – when he was dangerous? _That explains his scratched-up hands_ , she realized suddenly. _Yeah, he must have done that to himself…_

She still couldn't believe it – but it all fit, and her reasoning was sound. There was no getting around it – one of her friends was a werewolf. She sat back down and held her head in her hands. _Poor boy_ , she thought… _Existence in such a form, constantly living in fear that someone would discover your secret, and thereby shun you from themselves…_ Her heart ached with sympathy and sadness. She understood him better now… _That's probably why a decent boy like him hangs around with idiots and pranksters such as the Marauders_ , she thought… _He just wants to be included, and try to experience what a normal life can be…_

A sudden thought came to her. Did the other Marauders know? She remembered their last Hogsmeade weekend, when Potter and the rest had exchanged odd looks when she'd mentioned that Remus wasn't with them. Had they figured it out then itself? They must know, she thought firmly. They would have figured it out, too… And yet, they hadn't shunned him. They still treated him the same, as far as she could see…

She stood up. She couldn't tell anyone what she had deduced… It wasn't her secret to tell, it was Remus's… He would tell people when he felt like it. Perhaps she could tell him that she knew, and then he would really open up to her. She understood why he hadn't told anyone – he was afraid of the treatment he would get once people knew. She found it odd that he thought this way. Why would anyone who knew what kind of person he was, shun him if they found out about his – his problem? But then again, she could see that not everyone would be as considerate and accommodating as herself – indeed, most Wizarding children were probably prejudiced against werewolves… She felt new respect for Potter, Black and Peter. They were still friends with Remus. They hadn't done what most other people would've done without batting an eyelid… _Well, I guess they_ are _decent blokes after all_ , she conceded grudgingly.

A sudden movement in the grounds below caught her eye. She could see Madam Whitney hurrying back to the Entrance Hall gates. Lily sprinted towards the stairs; if Madam Whitney went to Dumbledore's office to inform him that Remus was safely under the Whomping Willow, that would certainly confirm her theory… She descended the steps slowly, and caught sight of Madam Whitney just as she began to ascend another flight of steps. Stealthily, Lily followed her… But something was off. This wasn't the path to Dumbledore's office…

 _It seems to be a day of strange goings-on_ , thought Lily. Remus under the Whomping Willow – and now Madam Whitney sneaking off somewhere – what is going on here? Based on the flight of steps she'd ascended, she ought to be on the fifth floor by now… She struggled to stay silent, but Madam Whitney hurried on, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was being followed. She turned a corner to another fifth floor corridor.

Lily waited for half a minute before turning around the corner herself – and stopped dead in her tracks. There was no one in the corridor ahead of her. It looked like a dead end, too – so where had Madam Whitney gone? _Oh no, this is like Malfoy all over again_ , she thought, frustrated – until it hit her –

 _Wait, what if it is exactly like Malfoy? What if there is a secret passage here, too? Fabian did hint that there were multiple passages out of school – so is this one of them?_ She began to examine the portraits. "Bowman Wright," she read softly. "Uric the Oddball… Elladora Ketteridge… Gregory the Smarmy… Roderick Plumpton…"

She sighed. Was the passage behind one of these portraits? She remembered the incantation Potter had used, nearly two years ago, for opening the passage… _Offengang_ , wasn't it? Yes, that was it… She raised her wand, tapped the portrait of Bowman Wright, and whispered, " _Offengang!_ "

Nothing happened; no secret passage opened up behind the portrait. She shrugged and decided to try the next portrait. Just as she was about to tap it, however, she heard a set of footsteps.

Quickly, she turned around at the place she had entered the corridor from, but no one was there. She waited fretfully, her wand hand steady, but no one came… She was starting to regret her carelessness. Why hadn't she just returned to the common room? No one knew where she was…

She heard footsteps behind her, and swirled around. To her horror, she didn't see anyone, but the dead end that she'd originally thought a wall was not a wall anymore… Nay, it looked like a passage, a dark tunnel, rather like a gaping mouth. Had that been where Madam Whitney had gone? And who was making the noise from the footsteps?

And then, before her very eyes, a figure materialized. It was clad head to foot in a black robe, and it had a hood, too… For one wild moment Lily thought that it was a Dementor, but the torches were still ablaze (albeit dimly) and there was no change in temperature… And besides, to her horror, the figure drew a wand and pointed it directly at her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked the figure bravely, her wand pointed at it, too. The other person did not reply; she couldn't even see its eyes. With a terrible blast of realization, she understood: this person was probably the one attacking Muggleborns, and she was a sitting duck.

 _Well, if I'm going to be attacked anyway, I must attack too – and it best be sooner rather than later, or else they'll get me_ , she thought bravely. She raised her wand and shouted, " _Impedi –_ "

But there was a blinding flash of purple before she could get the words out, and something hit her on her thigh. She went down to her knees, clutching her leg and letting out a scream of pain – she struggled to stay conscious but it was too difficult… The world swirled around her, and she never saw the hooded figure make its getaway as everything went black.

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	27. Chapter 26

Thanks for the review, Filtercoffee, KJ and Sri849. Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-six. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

 **Plan of Action**

The light was dim when she came to. She looked around blearily until her eyes focused themselves; she could make out a number of beds in the room – was she back in her dormitory, then? But it looked different – there were no cupboards or trunks, nor were there any hangings. She looked around for a few more seconds and understood: she was in the Hospital Wing. The torches were out, and the room was quite dark, save for the bright moonlight that was streaming in through the window.

She looked to her right and saw a figure sleeping in an armchair, all curled up. She squinted a little until she could make out that it was Liz. How long had she been sitting there? And how long had she, Lily, been out cold? A small moan escaped her. The last thing she remembered was getting hit by the jet of purple light, on her thigh… Her hand instinctively went to her thigh. The moment she touched it, however, a burning pain shot through her entire body. She stifled a scream but couldn't control a small gasp; taking deep breaths, she bore the pain until it subsided after a few seconds. She looked at the armchair to find Liz stirring slightly. Her best friend opened her eyes.

"Lily!" Liz exclaimed, but in a very soft voice. She looked extremely worried. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy," said Lily grimly. "My head feels all heavy, and my thigh – it burns every time I touch it, it hurts so badly!"

"Well – I'm sure glad to have you back," said Liz, leaning in towards her. Up close, Lily noticed that Liz's eyes seemed rather red. "How long was I out, and how long have you been sitting here?" she asked her friend, taking her hand into her own and squeezing it reassuringly, as if to tell her that she was all right.

"Well – it's nearly six o' clock in the morning right now," said Liz, a little thickly. "You've been out for – well, more than nine or ten hours at least. Lil – what happened?"

It was evident that Liz had been bursting to ask this question. _I'd be wondering the same thing if I were she_ , thought Lily. She tried to remember what had happened, but it was hazy – she remembered following Remus to the Hospital Wing – she remembered what she'd inferred from what she'd seen at the Whomping Willow, too – she drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. She remembered following Madam Whitney – then the Matron had mysteriously vanished, and just as she'd started to look for a secret passage, she been attacked…

She pulled herself into a sitting position, and winced slightly as pain shot through her leg once again. "Maybe you should lie down," said Liz, her eyes wide with concern. "And this can wait – maybe you should just rest for now, and we can discuss this later –"

"No, I'm fine," said Lily firmly. "I'll tell you what I saw – but we can't go to a teacher – not yet, anyway. I don't have enough information, so I'd suggest that we wait and watch what more happens before we tell anyone what we're up to."

"OK," said Liz. "So – what happened?"

Lily hesitated. She couldn't tell Liz what she'd found out about Remus, she just couldn't. It wasn't her secret to tell. She had to come up with something, and fast. "Well," she began, "I followed Remus – and he just kept walking purposefully – he didn't even stop to use the bathroom." Liz rolled her eyes at the feeble joke. "So where did he go?" she asked.

"Well – as we expected. He went straight to Dumbledore's office," Lily lied glibly. She felt thankful because of the dim lighting; she was sure that Liz would have caught a change in her expression had she been able to see it properly. Lily knew that she was a bad liar. "I waited for about half an hour – but he didn't come out, so we can safely assume that he went home," she ploughed on.

Liz relaxed back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "Then – if he went home, what did you mean when you said we need more information to go to a teacher?" she asked.

"I'm coming to that," said Lily softly. Liz leaned in to listen to her. "Where is Madam Whitney?" asked Lily.

"In her office," Liz whispered back. "She won't hear us, don't worry."

"Good," said Lily. "Because when I was returning to the common room, I saw Madam Whitney emerge from the Hospital Wing – and she looked in a real hurry, too. Besides, she didn't even greet someone as they greeted her – and that was a little odd, considering how polite she is – based on every time I've spoken to her, that is." _Wow, I'm getting better at coming up with lies_ , she thought cynically. She hated lying to her best friend, but then again, if she spoke the truth, it would lead to tricky questions about Remus. "Anyway," she continued, "I followed her to see where she was going in such a hurry – and she went straight to the fifth floor. Then she turned a corner – and by the time I got there, she was gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, _gone_?" Liz asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Er – the past participle of 'go'," said Lily dryly, and Liz made a face. "You know very well that's not what I meant, Lily Evans. _Where did she go?_ "

"That's just it," said Lily. "I don't know – my guess is that there's a secret passage somewhere in that corridor. And I know my guess is right – because of what happened next."

"OK – slow down," said Liz, holding up her hands. "Do you mean to say that there's a secret passage there, too? Where does it go?"

"I dunno," said Lily fretfully. "I was tapping my wand on the portraits that hang there – but I'd tapped only one, when the dead end opened up… Apparently, that's a secret passage, too. And someone stepped out of it – tall, hooded, with black robes," she added darkly.

"That was the person who attacked you, wasn't it?" Liz asked softly, squeezing her hand. Lily felt comforted at once. "Yeah," said Lily angrily, "I whipped out my wand but I couldn't even get the words out, that bloke was too quick."

"So – you think it was Madam Whitney?" Liz whispered, her eyes bright.

"That's the thing – I'm not sure," said Lily worriedly. "She vanishes in that corridor – then a passageway opens up, and someone attacks me – so it's not entire implausible that she is the person who's carrying out attacks, isn't it?"

"Hmm – I see what you mean now," said Liz, nodding grimly. "But we can't accuse a staff member of such cruel acts without proof, can we? And in any case, I don't think it was Madam Whitney who attacked you – she's a Healer, why would she attack students?"

"I don't know – maybe attack first, and heal later – that way her stock and value would increase, and she may even get a permanent position at Hogwarts?" suggested Lily, and Liz stifled a giggle. "Wow – I've _never_ heard anything so farfetched!" her friend said, grinning with amusement, but Lily didn't smile.

"It doesn't seem so farfetched if you recall the golden crown," she said, looking at Liz steadily. Liz's smile faded at once. "I'd forgotten about that – but still, it's too much of a coincidence, in my opinion – come on, Lily," said Liz firmly. "It really doesn't make sense, logically."

"Yeah, it doesn't," conceded Lily. "But there's something weird about Madam Whitney. It may or may not be related to the attacks, but something doesn't add up…"

"A lot of things don't add up," said Liz, frowning. "First, the attacks – then Madam Whitney sneaking off – then Madam Brenner's vindictiveness against Gryffindor – oh, it's too much of a muddle!" she exclaimed, holding her head.

"Sssshhhh," said Lily, looking over at the Matron's office worriedly, but the Matron didn't come out. "Well, at least we sorted out Remus's part in the puzzle," she whispered. "The answer is – he has no part to play, and absolutely nothing to do with the attacks."

"Yeah – that's true enough," conceded Liz. She looked at her watch. "Well – it's nearly seven, so I should go – I've got Ancient Runes at nine." She began to get up.

"Wait," Lily said, "Aren't you going to tell me what happened to me – as in, who found me, and brought me here?"

"Oh, that's right – I forgot to tell you!" exclaimed Liz, sitting back down. "You see – when you didn't return, we got worried. We were debating on whether we should go to the teachers or go looking for you – when the Marauders found us. They asked us why we looked so worried, and we told them that you were – er, missing – that it had been more than an hour since you'd gone to the library to return a book, and that you hadn't returned. We didn't tell them you were off following Remus. Anyway, we split up into groups of two – I went with Potter, and Black with Marlene with Mary – while Peter went to tell Professor McGonagall."

"And then?" Lily asked.

"We began to look. We searched for about an hour – we went to the library – the Owlery, the kitchens – but we couldn't find you… I was worried sick, and I was nearly in tears, but Potter – you won't believe it, Lil, but Potter – of all people – kept me calm. He said you were tough, that you could handle whatever was thrown your way, that he was sure you were OK…"

"He said that?" said Lily, her eyebrows going up in surprise. It sounded most uncharacteristic of James Potter to speak of her like that, given how frequently they were at odds with each other.

"Yup," said Liz firmly. "He did calm me down, but I was still so worried – then we were somewhere on the third floor, when Professor Slughorn saw us. He said that you'd been found – that you were hurt, and you'd been taken to the Hospital Wing…"

"So who found me?" asked Lily, as Liz paused to take a breath. She answered, "It was Marlene and the rest. We met them in the Hospital Wing, and Madam Whitney hurried in after us – I dunno where she was, she was probably looking for you, too – but based on what you said, she may have gone somewhere before being recalled to find you, wouldn't she?"

"Yup," said Lily. "That's possible –"

"But come to think of it, I don't think she was up to anything suspicious," Liz cut across her, "Because her first words to Professor McGonagall were, 'Sorry – I was taking care of you-know-what' – and she and Professor McGonagall exchanged significant looks. I don't know what that's all about, but it doesn't sound like anything odd…"

Lily opened her mouth to disagree, but stopped herself in time. She had an inkling of what the 'you-know-what' was – it had to be concerning Remus, didn't it? But Liz couldn't know that – she couldn't say anything about it.

"Anyway," Liz continued, "Madam Whitney quickly fixed you up. She said you'd been hit by a curse that causes blood clots, and if you'd not been found for a few more hours, the damage would've been permanent." Her voice sounded a little thick. "I wanted to stay here tonight – but Professor McGonagall was against it. Rules are rules, she said, and besides, the attacker could still be on the loose, so she said they – the teachers, that is – would be searching the castle. I protested, but she stood firm, and marched us all back to the common room.

"I was planning to sneak off after everyone went to bed, but James – yes, _James Potter_ , of all people – said I couldn't go. He even said he had a way to roam around the castle without anyone knowing, but he wasn't going to tell me how to do it… Especially after how you'd been attacked. He said that you would be fine, and we could all come to visit in the morning. The rest of the Marauders agreed, and Marlene and Mary sided with them. Plus, to make sure I stay there, they slept off in the common room itself last night, which left me no option but to go to bed…"

"But you're here now," said Lily, a little confused. "Did you give them the slip?"

"Sort of," said Liz, a little guiltily. "I just _had_ to see you, Lil – I couldn't sleep, so I waited for Marlene and Mary to fall asleep before going off to see you, but James was awake – he just sent me back up. He did say that if I were so worried, he would check up on you – I told him that if I couldn't go, he couldn't either, so he shrugged and sent me back up to bed. I dunno if he came to see you."

"Nor do I," admitted Lily, and Liz rolled her eyes before saying, "Anyway – an hour ago, I ventured into the common room again, and they were all asleep. I think it was Peter's turn to watch over me, but he was sound asleep, too – so I just ran all the way here, settled myself into this cozy little armchair, and waited for you to come out of dreamland… I was so relieved when Madam Whitney said that you were going to be fine, I had imagined all sorts of terrible stuff in my head…" She stopped talking abruptly as her eyes grew moist.

"Hey – I'm OK," said Lily comfortingly, squeezing Liz's hand. "I'm OK…"

"Yeah, and I'm glad you are," said Liz, quickly drying her eyes. "And you know something else, Lil? This business – this is murkier and a lot more dangerous than we thought. I don't think we can investigate it alone…"

"So what are you saying?" Lily asked her.

"I think," said Liz grimly, "It's time we involved the Marauders."

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Lily recovered fairly quickly; she was back in classes by the following Monday. Liz had come to pick her up from the Hospital Wing, and had brought her up to date on what had been discussed over the weekend. Marlene was now convinced, beyond doubt, that she'd been wrong; it was obvious that Remus would never attack Lily, nor would he be privy to any sort of plan to attack her. Marlene had been most apologetic, and had thanked the other girls profusely for forcing her to stand down before she'd gone and accused Remus.

The Marauders had been brought up to date with the girls' line of thought once Remus had returned. Once he'd heard the pattern of the attacks, however, Remus had said, apologetically, that he wouldn't be able to assist them in their investigation, as it coincided almost exactly with the days his mother had to take her potions, and he wanted to be with her then. The others had accepted this with sympathetic looks and nods, and Remus had volunteered to help in any way he could.

"So – the Marauders are quite enthusiastic to help, and can't wait to discuss this tonight – after classes, that is. Well, James and Black are, anyway – Peter seemed apprehensive, but agreed to participate if everyone else was, too… Let's find this scumbag together," said Liz derisively as they walked towards Care of Magical Creatures. Lily shot her a scandalized look, and Liz said, "What? I do swear sometimes – when the situation warrants it." She smiled impishly, and Lily rolled her eyes as they reached the paddock beyond which a number of massive creatures stood.

"What are those?" she asked Liz in wonder, stopping dead in her tracks. She took a closer look: the creature right next to the fence: it seemed to be half eagle, half horse, with four legs and two massive wings. It had a big, steel-grey beak, and a majestic eagle head, along with deadly-looking talons on their front legs. The rest of its body was horselike, sinewy and powerful. Its eyes were brilliantly orange, giving off an overall air of ill-temperedness. All the creatures had collars around their necks, and were tethered to the fence via chains. They were all of different colours: ebony black, chestnut grey, coppery brown and snow white.

"That's what we're here to find out," Liz quipped, and Lily punched her lightly on the arm as they trudged through the snow where the rest of the class stood.

"Top of the morning to you, Evans," Potter shouted as soon as he saw them. Lily snorted and said, "You just saw me in Divination about half an hour ago, Potter." He grinned lopsidedly and said, "I know – but that class somehow takes away all of my enthusiasm to shout out friendly morning greetings." Lily rolled her eyes as Black said, "Well – it's good to see you up and about, Evans."

She hadn't expected that; she hadn't spoken to Sirius Black for the better part of the past two months, but he had still gone out looking for her, and had even come to visit her in the Hospital Wing, albeit along with the rest of her friends. The least she could do was be nice to him in return…

"Thank you, Black," she said. "And thanks for joining the search party that day." He nodded, and Potter asked her in a mock hurt tone, "What, I don't get a thanks, too?"

"Well – Black was the one who found me," said Lily teasingly, and Black laughed aloud. "Sorry, mate – no work, no credit." Potter made a face and said, "Wow, I was starting to forget what ingratitude felt like." Lily laughed and said lightly, "I'm only kidding, you prat – so, thanks. And thanks to you too, Peter, for getting help so quickly." The fat boy nodded back at her, grinning. She stole a look at Remus, who looked concerned, too, but before he could say anything, she said, "I hope your Mum's OK, Remus – how is she?"

Remus opened his mouth to respond, but stopped before saying anything, with his gaze travelling to something (someone) behind her. She watched his expression change from concern to hostility within two seconds, and wondered what it was that had caused it.

"Well, well – looks like the Mudblood is up on her stinking little feet at last," a cold voice drawled behind her, and she wheeled around quickly. With a rush of anger, she saw Mulciber with his gang of Slytherins: Rosier, Wilkes, Avery – and Severus, too, who stood next to Rosier, looking apologetic and very much out of place. She understood; he couldn't come to her defence, for now at least, considering the fact that he was still somewhat of an outcast in his own House.

And yet, Severus turned to Mulciber and said, "Hey – no need for that, Pernicus…"

It was a weak attempt, but she appreciated it all the same. She gave him a tiny, reassuring kind of nod, to acknowledge that she didn't need his help, that she had this. Facing Mulciber squarely, she said scathingly, "What's it to you, you creep?"

"Watch the tone," Mulciber said smoothly, but with a trace of derision in his voice. "Someone like you isn't even fit enough to –"

"Yes, I dare you to complete that sentence," Liz cut across him suddenly, and stood next to her, pointing her wand at him. "Go on – say it –"

Mulciber's eyes narrowed, and he whipped out his wand, too, but before anyone could do anything more, another voice called out, "Well, children – don't just stand there, come closer to the fence!"

Seething, Liz replaced her wand in her pocket, and Lily dragged her friend away from Mulciber and the other Slytherins, giving Mulciber a particularly withering look. She hated the way he behaved, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Severus had still stood up for her, though… That counted for something.

"Thanks," she whispered to Liz, "But who are you, and what did you do to my usually stoic and calm friend?"

Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Let it be, Lil – I don't get angry very often, but when I do, it's for a good reason. You being bullied and called names qualifies as a good enough reason to stand up for what I believe in, against those prats…"

"Well – I really appreciate it," said Lily feelingly. "I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"You don't know how _long_ I've waited to hear you say that!" said Liz in a mock heartfelt tone, and Lily punched her lightly on the arm. The two girls joined the semicircle around Professor Kettleburn, and waited for him to speak.

"Right, so – Hippogriffs," said Professor Kettleburn, "Half-horse, half-eagle, big, dangerous if not tamed, but the most important thing is – they're proud. There's even a saying – to be as proud as a Hippogriff. Easily offended, they are – so if you offend one, it may well be the last thing you ever do – see those talons there?"

Lily shuddered slightly. The professor continued, "Right – so, you always wait for it to make the first move. In order to gain the trust of a Hippogriff, you must walk up to it, and bow – if it bows back, you're allowed to touch its beak and pat it. If now, well – walk away, just walk away."

The class listened to this in silence, and Professor Kettleburn asked, "Right, so – who wants to go first? How about you, Mr Mulciber?" To Lily's pleasure, Mulciber was looking apprehensive, and he didn't seem to want to go forward. A rather reckless idea came to her – here was a golden chance to show him up! Aloud, she said, "I'll do it, Professor. Not all of us are brave, and some – some are just cowards." A ripple of laughter ran through the Gryffindors, and Mulciber gave her a baleful look, flushing crimson.

"It seems we have a volunteer!" said Professor Kettleburn enthusiastically. "Come on, then, Miss Evans…" He began to limp towards the gate of the fence.

"What are you doing?" Liz asked her in an urgent whisper.

"Relax – I know what I'm doing," Lily whispered back. "Go Evans!" yelled Potter, and the rest of the Gryffindors hooted and cheered. She gave them an indulgent smile and strutted off towards the gate with a lot more confidence than she felt. She had talked the talk; all she had to do now was walk the walk.

"Right, so – Miss Evans – let's see you try with Thundercloud," said Professor Kettleburn, and untied the ebony-black hippogriff. He pulled it away from the rest, bringing it to the centre of the paddock. "Be nice, Thundercloud," he whispered to it, and slipped off its collar. Lily stood just inside the paddock, watching the Professor apprehensively.

"Right – so, you can walk up to it, Miss Evans, and do what we just discussed," said Professor Kettleburn. "And don't worry – I'm right here." She nodded and approached the black Hippogriff slowly, and it fixed her beadily with its orange gaze as she came closer. She didn't break eye contact until she stood right in front of it.

"Try not to blink, Miss Evans – they don't like it if you blink too much," said Professor Kettleburn softly. Lily obeyed, and stared fixedly into the hippogriff's orange eyes. It didn't look very friendly. "Now, bow," the professor whispered, and Lily did as she was told. She bowed, held steady for about a second, and looked back up.

The hippogriff didn't move; it just continued to stare at her steadily. _Well – if it doesn't bow, I'll be laughed at by the Slytherins even more – why did I decide to show up Mulciber? I mean, he deserved it, but what if it doesn't go according to plan?_ She cursed herself mentally for acting on impulse. _I'm an idiot_ , she thought…

"OK – it doesn't seem to want to bow, so back away now, slowly… Easy does it…" said Professor Kettleburn. He sounded a little worried. Lily cringed inwardly, but to her enormous relief, the hippogriff suddenly bent its knees and gave her what was a clear bow.

"Oh, well done, Miss Evans – twenty points to Gryffindor!" said Professor Kettleburn happily, and the rest of the class burst into loud and raucous applause; she could distinctly make out Potter and Black catcalling. "Go forward now, girl – you can pat him! Pat the beak, he likes that!" said Professor Kettleburn, and she moved slowly towards the hippogriff, finally extending a hand to pat it. "Hello, Thundercloud, I'm Lily," she said softly, and patted the beak several times. The hippogriff closed its eyes, as though enjoying it.

"Right, so – who else wants a go? Miss Evans has been kind enough to demonstrate what to do…" Professor Kettleburn called, and the rest of the class walked up to the gate enthusiastically, buoyed by her success. Lily perched herself on top of the fence near the gate, looking rather pleased with herself. "Nice work," said Liz as she passed her, and Lily smiled widely at her. Just then, Mulciber entered the paddock, and Lily took the opportunity to say to him, "Well, well – there's the creepy coward… Scared of the big bad hippogriff, are we?" The passing Gryffindors laughed again, and Mulciber said to her balefully, "You watch your mouth, Mudblood – or bad things will happen to you." Lily snorted and said, "What're you going to do, cower in fear like you did before?"

He had nothing to say to that, so he just made a face and walked away, his gang right behind him, Severus included. But as he passed her, Severus gave her an appreciative grin, and she smiled back at him. He nodded to her and followed his Housemates towards the hippogriffs.

"That was brilliant, Lily!" Liz chortled as they went back into the castle for lunch. "The way you showed him up – he had to come down a peg or two, and that did it!"

Lily smiled widely. "It _was_ fun," she admitted. "I usually don't like being rude to people, but he is really a prat… He kept calling me Mudblood, and that made me really angry, so I behaved all smug with him. Idiot!" she burst out vehemently.

"Nicely done, Evans," called Black from behind them. "I may have gained new respect for you."

"Why, thank you, Black," said Lily, gratified. The rest of the Marauders waved at her (Potter actually mock-bowed to her) before hurrying away, chattering excitedly.

"It was really nice to see you stand up to him, Lil," said Liz, a small smile on her face. "Perhaps I don't need to worry about you being discriminated against for now."

Lily squeezed her friend's hand and whispered, "It's very sweet of you to worry about me, Liz. I can take care of myself, but it feels nice to know that you have my back, just like I've got yours."

"Always," said Liz, smiling back, and the two girls walked into the Great Hall for lunch in better spirits than they'd been for the past week.

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That evening, Lily, Liz, Marlene and Mary settled themselves in a large circle close to the fire in the common room. When they were all seated and alert, Potter spoke. "Based on what we discussed last time, I think we should make catching the attacker our first priority."

"Who made you leader?" Lily asked him immediately. Just like Potter, she thought, irritated. Always wanting to take charge, thinking he was better than the rest of us…

He turned to her, nonplussed. "Didn't Hunt mention?" he asked her and a quizzical look at Liz, who shook her head no, looking embarrassed. "When we discussed this last time, I was unanimously put in charge of this – er, _operation_." Lily sat backwards, slightly abashed, making a mental note to talk to Liz later.

"Anyway – does anyone anything to say before we start to discuss and deliberate?" Potter asked, a little pompously. Lily raised her hand at once, and he sighed and asked, "Yes, Evans?"

"There are a number of things that may be linked or not linked, that I feel merit investigation by us – the attacks, Madam Whitney's behaviour, Madam Brenner's bias –"

"Wait – what about Madam Whitney?" Potter interrupted.

"I take it you don't know," said Lily, a little haughtily. She proceeded to briefly explain her experience following Madam Whitney, making it sound like she had followed the Matron because of her suspicious behaviour, and leaving Remus out of it. Once or twice, she caught him looking at her with an odd expression in his eyes – was it fear? She hadn't had a chance to speak to him after witnessing him going under the Whomping Willow that day. She still hadn't figured out what she was going to say, though…

"Hmm – interesting," said Potter, scratching his chin. "So she just vanished? Just like that?"

"That's correct," said Lily. "And then this passageway opened up – so I don't know what that's all about, too… She could be the one attacking everybody, but I don't see a concrete motive…"

"Yes – there's no motive. The whole thing sounds rubbish," said Black, rather forcefully. "Easy there, Sirius," said Potter, "You shouldn't let your crush on Madam Whitney cloud your judgement, mate." Black went red. "I do NOT have a crush on Madam Whitney," he protested vehemently, and Lily giggled. "My, you're fast, Black," she said mockingly, "I thought you liked Professor Walcott." Black went even redder, and the rest of the company laughed loudly.

"All right – that's enough, let's get things back to the point," said Potter after about five minutes of helpless laughter. "So, Evans – your prime suspect is Madam Whitney, isn't it? Well – we shouldn't rule anyone out, that's fair. So we have two things to do now – look into the attacks and Madam Whitney, which could be the same thing, and to look into Madam Brenner's obsession with being a – well, you know… So, how about we split up into two groups, one for each purpose?"

"I'm going to look into the attacks," said Lily at once, and Potter nodded. "I guessed you'd say that, because it's personal for you, and you gave us the best lead we have." Lily nodded at him, relieved that she didn't have to bicker with him this time to get her way. "Then I'm going to go with Lily," Liz said firmly.

"I think I should join you, too," said Potter after a little pause. "I know the tunnels in and out of the castle better than everybody – so if Madam Whitney is using a secret passage, I think I'll be most useful there."

"Good thinking, Jamie-boy," said Black, and Lily began to giggle once again. "I _told_ you – not to call me that," said Potter, clearly discomfited. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, Jamie," said Black, laughing as Potter went red, too. "Anyway – if you're going to look into the attacks, I am too," Black continued, as if that settled the matter.

"Hey – come on, _I_ want to look into the attacks, too!" protested Marlene, but Liz cut in, "Er – maybe you should focus on the Quidditch referee, Marlene." Lily immediately figured that this could be a way to make Marlene really _think_ and evaluate what she'd almost done – accuse Remus, one of their own, of attacking people with Dark Magic. Marlene seemed to understand this, too, because she said rather meekly, "All right – if you're all looking into the attacks, maybe we could focus on the Quidditch teacher."

"I'll help you," said Mary, a little sympathetically. The boys, who were looking on in slight surprise, seemed to find their voices; Remus said, "I'll join you, if that's OK – considering that I won't be here for most of your investigation on possible attack days – so I think I'll be more useful here. And you come with me, Pete," he added to Peter, who gave Mary an apprehensive glance before agreeing; Mary seemed to sense this, for she gave him a small smile and a nod, as if to indicate that she was ready to bury the hatchet at last.

"Right," said Potter, business-like, "We've got our groups, and today is Monday – so let's meet every Monday night to discuss what we have and plan our next move. The most ideal case is to solve both these odd events before anyone else gets hurt, so let's focus on finding an early solution, OK?" The others nodded in unison, and everyone got up.

"Wait – Evans, d'you want to show me where Madam Whitney is? We could go now, if you like," said Potter. Lily considered; tempting as it was to do as he was suggesting, she regretfully decided against it. It was nearly curfew; they would get into trouble if they got caught, and it was her first day back after being attacked, so it would be best to play it safe for now. "Er – can we go tomorrow instead? It's late – we could get caught, so tomorrow is safer."

"Fair enough," conceded Potter, "Though I'd have liked to go tonight. In any case, tomorrow it is – let's do it." She nodded, and said teasingly, "That's nice of you, Jamie." He turned crimson at once, ahd Black gave a loud hoot of laughter. "That's going to stick, mate!" he said happily, while Potter looked a little devastated; Black put an arm around his shoulder and began to lead him away to a table, and the other Marauders followed him, presumably to set up a game of Exploding Snap.

"Come on – let's go to bed," said Liz, but Lily said, "You go ahead, I want a word with Remus about Friday's Charms class that he missed." Liz shrugged and began to walk towards the dormitories behind Marlene and Mary; Marlene looked a little sulky and Mary seemed to be comforting her… _Well, serves her right, accusing Remus_ , thought Lily coldly.

She walked up to the Marauders and said, "Er – Remus? Can I have a word – alone?"

He looked confused, but nodded; they walked away from the table to a couple of chairs near the wall, not paying much heed to Potter's and Black's inquiring looks. They sat down facing each other, Remus looking politely puzzled.

"Er," said Lily. She didn't quite know how to begin. "There was something I wanted to tell you, Remus." She looked at him, and his gaze was apprehensive. "What is it, Lily?" he asked.

"Er – well, the day I was attacked, I was going to the library," she began, her mouth twitching slightly at the lie. "I saw you – with Madam Whitney." She paused, and studied his face, he looked alarmed. With a twinge of sympathy, she ploughed on, "I saw where you went, Remus – and _I know_." She gave him a sad look.

"You _know_? What do you _know_?" he asked her forcefully. Surprised, she said, "I figured it out, Remus – you told us you go home, but I know you don't – and from what I saw that day, I know the truth about –"

"About what? _What_ , exactly?" he said harshly. She was stunned with the coldness in his voice. His face quivered a little, and his expression was of mingled fury and fear.

She took a deep breath and said, "I looked at the lunar calendar – the days you supposedly went home were full moon days. And your Boggart, too – it turned into the moon as soon as it saw you – this made it clear, Remus. I know about your condition," she finished.

She watched with great sympathy and sorrow as his face twisted with anger, revulsion and fear all at once. He obviously wasn't taking it too well, the fact that someone had found out about his biggest secret… Taking a few deep breaths, he said, in a voice full of forced calm, "And who else knows? Did you tell anyone?"

"What? No! Why would I do that?" said Lily, horrified. "It's not my secret to tell, Remus – it's _yours_! So if I guessed it or found out about it, I won't be going around telling anybody – and personally, it's a little insulting that you would think that!"

He looked at her steadily for a few seconds. Then his shoulders sagged, and he took his head in his hands. She patted his back sympathetically, and he looked up; he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that. Of course, I'm grateful that you kept my secret – but now you know, don't you? What're you going to do now – never speak to me again?"

At that, Lily lost her temper. How could he even think that? "And why would I do that, Remus?" she asked, her voice soft yet fierce, "Just because you're a _were_ –" He flinched as though she'd slapped him, and she broke off, immediately regretting what she'd almost said. She quickly looked around, but they were quite alone. "Sorry," she said, "But if you thought I'd disown you after learning about your condition, Remus, then you're wrong. I go through the same thing almost every day, when a sizeable number of witches and wizards look down upon me for being Muggle-born – they consider me to be second-class, don't they? I know what it feels like," she added. "That is why – the only thing I'll do is not say a word about it to anyone else, and treat you just the very same. Is that OK with you?" she asked sardonically.

"I didn't expect this," he said, slowly. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Lily." She smiled at him, but was startled to see his eyes rather moist. "Hey, hey – it's all right, Remus, don't worry about it – I just wanted to tell you that I know, and I'm not going to tell anyone," she said comfortingly, grasping his hand with her own and squeezing it. He gave her a wan smile. "Thank you, Lily," he said sincerely. "It's no problem," she said, and they both stood up.

"If anyone asks, we were discussing Friday's Charms lesson – the one you missed," she said, and he nodded in understanding. "Well – good night," she added, and giving him a little wave, she proceeded towards her dormitory, and he went back to join his friends. _Maybe now he'll be less guarded with me_ , she thought as she ascended the staircase. _I hope he's OK – it can't be easy for him – but if people who get discriminated against don't stick together, then who will?_

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	28. Chapter 27

Thanks for the review, Filtercoffee and KJ.

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-seven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

" **You shouldn't be so quick to judge when you don't know someone."**

Five o'clock the next day found Lily guiding Potter, Liz and Black to the place where she'd been attacked, or the 'scene of the crime' as Black had rather morbidly dubbed it. She frowned a little exasperatedly as her companions entered into a lively discussion about the prospects of Puddlemere United (Liz supported them, as did Potter, apparently) against the Tutshill Tornados (Black's favourite team); with both teams currently second and first in the league, this match was going to be crucial. Lily suspected that the boys were having trouble taking their so-called investigation seriously, and with Liz being drawn into an animated discussion with them, Lily was having trouble making sure that the focus of her companions was on the matter at hand rather than the stupid Quidditch League.

"Come on, Black – Grant Anderson will wipe the floor with Rossi and Torres single-handedly!" exclaimed Liz vehemently from behind her.

Black snorted. "Be realistic, Hunt – Rossi is one of the best Chasers in the world at the moment, he guiding Italy's World Cup Qualification Campaign on his own!" he said feelingly. "Mark my words – Rossi alone will be too much to handle for Anderson and the others!"

"You're joking, right?" said Potter sceptically. "Anderson is the bloody Captain of the England Quidditch Team – and he's bloody good, too – he scored eighteen goals in the last game!"

"Anyone can score against the Chudley Cannons," Black said scornfully, "They're pathetic – all history and no quality… And you," he added, turning to Liz, " _You_ just like Puddlemere because you've got a crush on Grant Anderson!"

There was a small pause, and Lily turned backwards to see Liz blush. She recovered quickly, however. "That is still better than liking a teacher – such as Professor Walcott!" she shot back, and Black let out a disparaging noise.

"The _point_ is," said Potter, with the air of someone wanting to bring the conversation back on track, "Anderson alone can take on all the Tornados Chasers – at the same time! The other Puddlemere Chasers are just supporting acts to him!"

"Last time I checked, Quidditch is a team game," said Black, his tone mocking. "So if you think Anderson can win it alone, think again – the Tornados play better as a team!"

"Yeah, and Anderson became Captain of England by playing individually, didn't he?" Liz said sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, Lily kept walking further, her attention slipping away from the animated discussion behind her as she arrived at the place where she'd been attacked. She shuddered at the memory; the hooded and cloaked attacker came before her eyes vividly. _I'm OK_ , she thought firmly… _I'm not alone this time…_

She turned the corner into the dead-end corridor and came to an abrupt halt. A split second later, someone promptly collided into her and she jumped forward, turning around in time to see Potter regain his balance.

"With a lack of awareness like that, a fine detective you'd make, Potter," she commented dryly. Potter went slightly red and said defensively, "Well – why'd you stop like that, then?"

"Because we're here," she replied smoothly. Her companions took a look around for a few seconds before Potter said, "I know this place – it looks familiar, doesn't it, Sirius?"

"Yeah, it does," agreed Black. "Those portraits –" he hurried forward and stopped before the portrait closest to the wall marking the end of the passage, "—that's Uric the Oddball! We've been here before, James!"

Astonished, Lily asked, "What, really? When?"

Black and Potter exchanged glances before Potter looked at her and said rather smugly, "There's very few parts of the castle that the Marauders haven't explored, Evans."

Lily snorted with disbelief. Really, how thick did they think she was? She'd long learnt to take everything the Marauders said with a pinch of salt.

Liz, who had been examining the dead-end wall for the past few minutes, now said, "So, Lily – you said the attacker came from here?"

Lily nodded. "Yup," she said, "I saw it before beginning to examine the portraits that day – it was just a wall then. But after I examined the portrait of Bowman Wright – there's no passage behind it, by the way – I heard something. I turned around to see that the wall had disappeared –" she indicated the wall Liz stood next to, "—and in its place was a tunnel. Then a figure suddenly materialized out of thin air – it looked like the attacker took a Disillusionment Charm off himself."

"Or herself," said Black unexpectedly. Lily nodded and amended, "Or herself, that's true – there are more than a few girls at Hogwarts who have it against Muggleborns."

Potter stood next to Liz, his face wearing its trademark cocky grin. "Stand back, Hunt," he addressed Liz, "I'll show you something interesting." He tapped his wand on the wall and said, " _Aperto!_ "

Before her very eyes, the wall simply melted away to reveal a wide passage. "How did you know how to open that passage?" Lily asked in disbelief, and Potter grinned widely. "I know a lot of these, Evans," he said, looking more than a little pleased with himself. "There are numerous others, of course – this isn't the only one. I saw a fifth-year Hufflepuff bloke go in here with a girl once – one can only guess what they were doing –" he wrinkled his nose in disgust, and Lily frowned at him, "—so Peter and I went to explore it the next day. We saw that it ended up somewhere on the route the Slytherins take to go to their common room. We've used it once or twice since – the last time to escape from a few unfriendly Slytherins."

"Why were you running away from the Slytherins?" asked Liz suspiciously.

"Because we threw some Shrinking Solution on some fourth-year Slytherins as they were walking back to their common room," said Black, and began to laugh. "That git Andrew McMahon caught a faceful – it was like he was headless; his head was so tiny! We had to make a quick getaway – so we ran with a couple of people in hot pursuit and gave them the slip via this passage."

"You – oh, forget I asked," said Liz with mild exasperation, and Potter and Black exchanged gleeful grins; apparently the memory was still amusing.

"So – this passage opens up near the Slytherin common room?" Lily asked, and Potter nodded. A few seconds of silence passed before Lily looked at Potter to see his eyes widening with realization. "I believe we've come to the same conclusion, Evans," he said, and Lily asked him, "D'you think that this confirms that someone from Slytherin is behind these attacks?"

He nodded and said, "That's the most logical conclusion." To Lily's surprise, Liz snorted.

"I thought it was obvious that a Slytherin was behind these attacks," she said, as if stating something commonplace. "For one, theirs is the House with the most number of pureblood fanatics; and besides, no Slytherin has been attacked till now."

"To be fair, there are very few – possibly just one – Muggleborns in Slytherin," said Black thoughtfully. "But you're right – based on the other people in that infernal House, along with where this passage goes – it's very likely that someone from Slytherin is behind these attacks. We just have to figure out who."

"Yeah, well put, mate," complimented Potter. "Let's use that as a working theory for now. Maybe a Slytherin discovered this passage – and is using it for their own despicable purposes." Lily nodded in agreement at this ominous proclamation.

"We still don't know where Madam Whitney went," she pointed out importantly. "Yeah, she could've gone inside this passage, and she could've run into or even been the person who attacked me – but that theory seems really daft. It doesn't make sense!"

"Yup – it doesn't, so let's assume that Madam Whitney went somewhere else," said Liz firmly. "In that case, there could be a passage behind one of these paintings…" She moved closer to the paintings, tapped her wand on Uric the Oddball's portrait and said, " _Offengang!_ "

Nothing happened. "Right – let's try the others," said Liz bracingly, and Potter and Black were galvanized into action; tapping his wand on Elladora Kettridge's portrait, Potter said, " _Offengang!_ " It was useless; the portrait remained still, just like the previous one. "OK – let's try this one," said Black, standing in front of Gregory the Smarmy, who regarded him curiously. Tapping his wand on the portrait, Black said, " _Offengang!_ "

Before their very eyes, the portrait moved forward and rotated along its left edge to reveal a dark tunnel behind it. Black looked jubilant. "That's how it's done," he said with an air of annoying superiority, "You lot might want to learn from that!" Liz and Potter rolled their eyes and ignored him.

"I was right!" Lily exclaimed. "There is a secret passage here!"

"Well – it's not like Madam Whitney disappeared into thin air, is it?" said Liz, rather mischievously. "Nah – she went into this tunnel!"

"I wonder where it goes," said Black, and Potter said with a touch of sarcasm, "You and the rest of us, mate."

A thought struck Lily, and she decided to voice it out. "Theoretically, if Madam Whitney had realized I'd been following her, she could've just put a Disillusionment Charm over herself and made her getaway," she said thoughtfully. "She might not have gone into this passage at all." The others stared at her incredulously, almost as if they were wondering why she was voicing a very valid theory right now, something that could potentially throw all of their assumptions in doubt. "What?" she asked, a little defensively, "It's possible!"

There was a pause, following which Potter said, "I'm so glad you proposed this theory _after_ we found the passage, Evans." She went pink over his words; Black doubled over in laughter and even Liz smiled with amusement. "In any case," Potter continued, "I reckon she went this way –" he indicated the tunnel in front of him, "—so I vote we follow this passage and see where it leads us. My hunch is that it'll lead us to Hogsmeade…"

"Interesting theory, Potter," said Lily, nodding her head in agreement. "Fabian once told me that there are multiple passages out of school – so this could be one of them!"

"Wow – this is a wonderful discovery, mate!" said Black gleefully, as though it was just hitting him that the passage could potentially be a route to Hogsmeade. "We could definitely sneak off into Hogsmeade whenever we wanted – that'll be so much fun, eh? Wait till Remus and Pete hear of this!"

"Easy now, Black," said Liz. "We don't even know where this passage goes – for all we know, it could lead straight to McGonagall's office, and then we'd all be in a soup!"

Lily shuddered a little. "That would _not_ be a desirable result," she said feelingly, "But if Madam Whitney took this passage, I too think it'll lead us somewhere out of school or to someplace interesting…"

"Let's explore it right now!" Potter exclaimed. "Come on – no time like the present!"

"Have you gone completely daft?" Lily asked him, raising her eyebrows. "It's dark, Potter – and don't you remember the last time we went into Hogsmeade via a secret passage?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as they all remembered their last adventure into the village. Then Liz said softly, "Lily's right, James. We can explore it later – maybe on a weekend, during the day."

Potter threw up his arms in defeat. "Fine," he said, somewhat put out. "Let's come back later." Black nodded in assent, and that seemed to settle the matter. They sealed both the passages and trooped back to the common room. It was time get to the bottom of this…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

February arrived, bringing with it a more snow and an avalanche of homework. Lily's lessons were getting more and more difficult; she was just barely able to keep up with Transfiguration, and Herbology was proving to be difficult too – but she was doing well in Arithmancy, having now mastered the basics. She kept her place at the top of her class in Charms and Potions (in spite of she and Severus not partnering up any more, given their mutual agreement of keeping their distance from one another), and found Care of Magical Creatures very interesting thanks to her success with the Hippogriffs, but the main issue was Divination. Lily was starting to believe that she lacked aptitude for the subject, but now that she'd taken it, there was no option – she had to keep it until OWL year at least.

"It was a mistake to take Divination," she said to Liz one afternoon, as they walked towards the castle after Herbology one Wednesday afternoon. Liz smiled and said, "I want to say 'I told you so', but I'll refrain from it – and don't worry, everyone passes Divination, being the woolly subject that it is – nothing's definite, see?" she added comfortingly. Lily's spirits lifted slightly, and she said, "Yeah, I guess – but I wish I had _some_ kind of aptitude for the subject."

"Not everyone is good at everything," said Liz sagely. "Look at it this way – you top Potions and Charms, so you can cover up for Divination, can't you?"

"I suppose," said Lily, though without much confidence. She saw the Marauders (with the exception of Remus, who was in the Hospital Wing courtesy of the upcoming full moon that night) just ahead of her as they walked back to the castle, and it irritated her; only two days ago, they'd apparently wormed their way out of punishment for throwing Dungbombs at Severus, or so her friend had told her in an angry letter after the incident. She hoped they would lay off him, but she couldn't see it happening in the next few years at least; Severus and the Marauders absolutely loathed each other.

Marlene and the rest who were looking into Madam Brenner had taken to reading old daily prophets in the library. This was the best way to do their research, Marlene said, and they spent every minute of their free time finding out information about their Quidditch teacher. Just last week, Marlene had told them that about twenty years ago, Madam Brenner played for a now-defunct team in the Quidditch League, the Reigate Royals. That team had gone bankrupt a few years ago rather acrimoniously, Marlene had said. Lily was feeling slightly hopeful that they would be able to get to the bottom of that particular mystery very soon.

That evening, she sat together with Liz, Potter and Black, waiting for curfew to begin. They had decided that they would sneak around the castle that night, hoping to find out something. It was dangerous, and borderline stupid, but after discussing it at length, they had all come to the conclusion that there was no other way. Their priority was keeping an eye on Madam Whitney, and they had decided that they would split up into pairs; one pair would stay near the Hospital Wing, waiting to see if Madam Whitney ventured out, while the other pair would stay near the newly-discovered passage on the fifth floor.

Much to her annoyance, the Marauders had all explored it the very next day, and had reported to the rest of the company that the passage led to Hogsmeade, opening in the cellar of a (presumably) abandoned house. Liz in particular had been rather angry with the Marauders for this deed, and hadn't spoken to them for two days until they'd apologized and given her a few chocolate éclairs from the kitchens as a peace offering. She still held it over their heads on occasion, though.

"Well, it's time," said Potter, just as the clock in the common room struck nine-thirty. "You lot ready?"

"We still haven't decided how we're going to split up," said Black, "So we should do that now, mate."

"Yup," said Potter, "So – you and Hunt go to the Hospital Wing, and I'll go to the fifth floor with Evans."

She looked at him and said, "Why am I with you? I thought I was going with Liz!"

"Er – I think it's more prudent if you go with either me or Sirius, Evans," said Potter awkwardly. "I'm not questioning your abilities," he added, as she opened her mouth to argue. "I'm just being chivalrous – it's how my parents raised me."

She rolled her eyes and said, "I don't need you to protect me, Potter – but fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll come with you." He brightened considerably with her lack of argument.

"Right, now that that's been taken care of, I vote we go," said Black enthusiastically. They all got up and climbed out of the portrait hole, and were just about to part ways when Liz stopped abruptly.

"Hang on – James, do you think it's a good idea that you and Lily go to the place where she was attacked? Shouldn't you go to the Hospital Wing?" she asked. Potter snorted.

"Don't be thick, Hunt – look at it this way," he said, a little condescendingly, "Evans was attacked over there last month – so there's no chance of the attacker using that place for attacking again tonight, is there? Evans knew where she was attacked, so if the attacker assumes that the teachers and Prefects would keep an eye on that corridor, it's a fair assumption – so he or she would stay away from that place tonight, won't they?"

Lily marvelled at Potter's reasoning; it certainly made a lot of sense. She felt gratified that he had chosen the place where they were least likely to be attacked. "I suppose," said Liz, still sounding a little uncertain. "But be careful," she added, and Potter gave her a thumbs-up. Lily smiled and said, "Don't worry, Liz – we'll be fine."

They all split up, and walked along in silence with Potter until they arrived at the corridor. They decided to patrol the area, keeping as close to the wall as possible, in order to stay out of sight. The passage to Hogsmeade would serve as a good hiding place. The walked in silence for nearly an hour, making occasional small talk about lessons.

"I noticed you've been avoiding Snivelly for the last few months," Potter said abruptly, as they walked. "You two have a falling-out?"

"Tell me, Potter," said Lily, with the familiar feeling of annoyance that arose every time someone insulted Severus, "How is it any of your business?"

He opened his mouth to argue but froze. His eyes widened; he seemed to have heard something, so Lily craned her ears, trying to detect what his heightened senses already had. She heard the sound of muffled footsteps.

"Someone's coming!" Potter whispered urgently. "And we're too far from the passage to hide!"

Heart hammering, she suddenly clutched his hand. All her courage deserted her momentarily; for a split second, an image of a black-clad attacker came in front of her. "What now?" she asked him softly. "Do we fight?" Her courage returning, she began to draw her wand, mentally steeling herself to attack the unknown entity.

"No – here," he said desperately, and to her great surprise, he took out a silvery cloak from the pocket of his robes and handed it to her. "Here – cover yourself! Hurry!" he said, his tone insistent. "What is it?" she asked curiously. She began to examine it.

"No time to explain – please, just wear it, Evans, and don't take it off until I say so! Trust me!" he said pleadingly, and there was something in his voice that just made her submit without question. She quickly threw the cloak over herself and stood there stupidly; she had no idea why it was so important to wear this cloak. She was just about to ask him again when someone turned the corner ahead of them; to Lily's shock, it was Professor McGonagall.

"Potter!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall, "What is the world are you doing out here – at this time of the night, that too?"

 _This is odd_ , thought Lily. She said 'Potter' – just 'Potter'… Why hadn't Professor McGonagall called out her name, too?

Potter grinned innocently at Professor McGonagall. "I – er, I just fancied a stroll, Professor," he said easily. "I couldn't sleep – so I just decided to roam around for a while."

Professor McGonagall came to a halt right in front of them. "I heard voices – who were you talking to?" she asked him curiously. "Myself, Professor," he said promptly, "I was going over how I should play in the next match against Hufflepuff." Professor McGonagall stared at him, clearly debating whether to believe him or not. At last she said, with a touch of heat, "Well, boy – you know that night-time wanderings are strictly prohibited! Especially in times when someone is on the loose attacking students! Are you _trying_ to get attacked, Potter?"

"Er – you see, Professor – that person has attacked only Muggle-born students till now, so I didn't really think I'd be in danger –" Potter's voice trailed off, and Lily just stood there, disbelieving.

 _My word_ , she thought. That _had_ to be the most arrogant thing she'd ever heard him say! But why wasn't Professor McGonagall saying anything to her – or even _looking_ at her, for that matter? Was it because of that cloak? Potter had told her to not take it off until he said so, and she meant to listen to him – but what was this cloak? Did it stop her from being solid or something?

"That is a most foolhardy thing to say, Potter," said Professor McGonagall coldly, and Lily looked up to see her nostrils flaring: always a danger signal. "Did you think you could single-handedly stop this person who's been attacking other students? Did you think that you had the skill and magical knowledge to duel someone who routinely practises Dark Magic? Is that what you were doing, boy – looking for this attacker on your own to duel him?"

"Er," said Potter, quailing under the teacher's harsh stare, "If you put it like that it doesn't sound like a very good idea –"

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall testily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter – and a detention, Wednesday night, my office. This isn't the first time I've caught you wandering around after hours, but I'm hoping it will be the last. Now come on – back to the common room. I'll take you there myself." Saying so, she began to lead Potter in the general direction of Gryffindor Tower; Potter glanced at her and nodded slightly, his eyes focused on a point near her shoulder. She understood; making as little noise as possible, she began to follow them, taking care to keep herself completely covered by the cloak.

She thought about what had just happened as she walked. For some miraculous reason, Professor McGonagall had told only Potter off for wandering around after hours; it was as if the professor hadn't been able to see her – and then it hit her. _This has to be a cloak that rendered the user invisible_ , she thought, comprehension dawning on her. _Potter gave it to me so that I'd be invisible – then he took the fall for the both of us to protect me, and came up with a story of going around to fight the attacker on his own…_ She shook her head in disbelief. _Potter is really an arrogant berk_ , she thought derisively. _Always trying to play the hero… Who does he think I am, some kind of medieval damsel in distress? I can take care of myself, can't I?_

She began to walk with renewed vigour, determined to chew his ears off for thinking she was a weakling. She'd show him… She would challenge him for a duel and beat him; she'd done it once before, hadn't she? Yes, that was what she would do… She slowed down as up ahead, she saw Professor McGonagall and Potter stop in front of the portrait hole.

A sudden panic gripped Lily. How would she get in? The Fat Lady was unlikely to open up to a disembodied voice saying the password. She hoped that Potter would open the door for her a few minutes after going in; in order to give Professor McGonagall some time to go out of sight… But how would he know when to open the portrait hole? What if Professor McGonagall lingered?

Lily mentally shook herself. _You could just take this cloak off once Professor McGonagall goes away, genius. Then you can open the portrait hole yourself!_ Slightly bemused with the amount of time it had taken for her to come up with this particular solution, she waited until Potter was safely inside and Professor McGonagall was gone, before pulling the cloak off herself and walking nonchalantly in front of the portrait hole. "Fortis," she said to the Fat Lady, who nodded and swung open wordlessly to let her in.

Potter was pacing right next to the portrait hole, a little fretfully. The moment he saw her, however, he smiled with relief. "Thank heavens you're here!" he said, striding up to her, "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost!" Silently, she handed him the cloak; he pocketed it. Struggling to keep the anger out of her voice, she said softly, "A word, Potter? Outside?"

Nonplussed, he nodded and followed her outside the portrait hole. As much as she'd have liked to yell at him, she didn't want to give key details of what they were doing to the entire common room. Facing him squarely, she asked, her voice harsh, "What was the meaning of that, Potter?"

"What was the meaning of what?" he asked her bemusedly.

"That!" she said, her voice rising. "You made me hide from whoever was coming – under that cloak, didn't you? Yeah, I figured out that it's something to make the user invisible, right?" He nodded mutely, and she ploughed on, "So, why didn't you join me under there? Why play the white knight in shining armour to get me out of a possibly sticky situation? Did you really think you'd win my gratitude or something? Well, you're wrong – I can take care of myself – or have you forgotten our duel last year?"

She saw a momentary flash of anger in his eyes, before he took a deep breath, quite possibly to calm himself. He said, his voice shaking slightly, "That is not how it was, Evans. You have it all wrong – but if you won't listen to me, there's no point telling you, is there?"

The lack of an arrogant response from him startled her a little. "Explain, then," she said, her anger still very much present, but wanting to hear his version.

"Here's the truth, then," he began. "This Cloak – you guessed right, it is an Invisibility Cloak, it's been in my family for generations. I keep it with me at all times – in case of emergencies, as you saw tonight."

As he spoke, her mind flashed back to the time they'd all sneaked off into Hogsmeade during her first year; he'd sent Peter on his way then, but not before speaking to him away from all of them. "You gave Peter your Cloak before we sneaked off into Hogsmeade that day!" she exclaimed, and he nodded. "Very good, Evans," he said, somewhat mockingly, and she shot him a withering look.

"Anyway – when I heard footsteps, there were two possibilities as to who it could be: someone who meant us harm, such as the attacker or an unfriendly Slytherin, or someone who meant us no harm but it wouldn't be good if we got caught by them, such as a teacher or a Prefect. I was also sure that they had heard us walk or they may have heard our voices; either way, you'd be in more danger than me. If it had been the attacker, you'd have been targeted. If it had been a teacher or Prefect, and both of us had been under the Cloak, they would have certainly performed a _Homenum Revelio_ and found us… So, it didn't make sense for us both to hide under the Cloak at the same time. If they see that it's only me, they wouldn't perform a _Homenum Revelio_ , and you could remain hidden and safe."

"What is a _Homenum Revelio_?" she asked curiously, distracted from her anger. He rolled his eyes and said, "It's a spell to detect human presence." Raising his wand, he said, " _Homenum Revelio!_ " She felt a strange sensation; it was as if something was swooping low over her, immersing her body in its shadow. "You see?" he said, a little triumphantly, "It would have given us away! So I did the only thing that made sense – because it was important that _you_ don't reveal your presence! It was nothing to do with your abilities!" he added heatedly.

She looked at him, ashamed of herself. Why was she always so quick to jump to conclusions? Hadn't he proven to her, time and again, that deep down, he was a chivalrous and noble person? Why did she feel so annoyed and incensed by every tiny thing he did? She had worked with him before, during their project last year – and they had won first prize, hadn't they? She had even grown to stand him at that point of time, though he and Severus detested each other… She had decided that she would form her own opinions, hadn't she? And yet again, here she was, using her preconceived motions to judge him and the motives behind his actions.

"I'm sorry, Potter," she said meekly, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry – I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"No, you shouldn't have," he said, his voice brittle, and she looked up at him at last. His hazel eyes were hard. "But you always do that, don't you? So I guess I shouldn't expect anything more or less."

The words washed over her like a cold wave. "I'm sorry, Potter – I mean it," she said again. She couldn't bear the thought of someone being angry with her. To her surprise, he grinned. "It's quite all right," he said, his voice a lot warmer than before. "I know you do – I'm just trying to make a point. I'm only saying that you shouldn't be so quick to judge when you don't know someone."

"I could say the same thing to you about Severus," she retorted dryly, and his grin grew wider. "Point taken," he conceded, "But Snivellus is a slimy git, so he doesn't count." She felt a ripple of irritation once again, but she wasn't going to say anything so soon after being unnecessarily harsh with him earlier. Shaking her head, she followed him back into the common room.

"Well, now that we're going to wait for Liz and Black, I might as well get some homework done," she said, and he nodded. "Good idea. You do that, then – and I'll go for a game of Exploding Snap with Fab and Gid. See you later!" With a tiny wave, he walked away to where the Prewett brothers were sitting, talking animatedly with Frank Longbottom.

She climbed the stairs to her dormitory, and retrieved her Transfiguration homework from her table. Talking to Jane (who was the only one there) briefly, she went down to the common room, found an empty table, and began to study.

About half an hour later, Black and Liz returned to the common room with nothing to report. They'd waited, hiding inside a broom cupboard just outside the common room, but no one had come their way – finally, they'd been forced to abandon their watch at midnight, as decided before they'd set off.

"Well, that clears up one thing," said Potter thoughtfully, "There isn't a definite time for her to go to wherever she goes." Liz nodded. "I think so, too… Maybe she already went and came back. Today's a full moon night, is there? Blimey, so many things happen on full moon nights!"

There was an uncomfortable silence, as Potter and Black exchanged glances. Lily knew what they were thinking: at that very moment, Remus was somewhere beneath the Whomping Willow, in his transformed state. Did the Marauders know that she knew about him, too? They might… But if Remus hadn't told them, they had no way of knowing.

She forced a smile and said, "Well – that's where the word 'lunatic' comes from, doesn't it? Full moon nights have high crime rates for some reason, and it was long believed that the moon had something to do with it." Three blank faces looked at her, and she added quickly, "It's a Muggle thing." They all rolled their eyes at that.

Just then a voice spoke from behind them, "Oh good – you're back." Lily turned around to see Marlene standing behind her, her face betraying a multitude of emotions – relief, excitement and self-satisfaction.

"Yeah, we went to watch the corridors – but nothing happened," said Potter. "McGonagall even caught us – so it wasn't the best of outings. I only hope that with so many people patrolling the castle, the attacker doesn't target anyone tonight."

Lily shuddered slightly and fervently hoped the same. Marlene said, "Oh, well – at least you lot are all right."

"So did you find out anything, Marlene?" asked Liz, "You looked more excited than relieved to see us." Lily smiled slightly; Liz had caught the same things as she had. Marlene's eyes brightened, and she said, "Oh, we found out something _very_ interesting, in fact…" She leaned in, and everyone else followed suit.

"It wasn't easy to get articles on the defunct Reigate Royals," she began. "It took a lot of digging, but we found out why they went bankrupt – it was some kind of betting and match-fixing scandal, which was covered up by the British Isles Quidditch Association. The fallout was that the Royals, whose managers and coach were involved in match-fixing, went bankrupt – the Ministry of Magic sanctioned and fined them, effectively ending their participation in the Quidditch League. The players were fined, too; Madam Brenner wasn't on that list, and we found an article stating that she was cleared her of all charges, too."

"Good work, Marlene," said Potter. "But is there a point to this?" he added impatiently, and Marlene glared at him and said, "I'm coming to that, you prat. Anyway – just yesterday we discovered the logo of the Reigate Royals. I'll show you…" She pulled out a rather worn-out copy of an old, yellowing Daily Prophet. "Look at the team logo," said Marlene, and all eyes went to the newspaper. There was a large photo which took up nearly half the front page, of a team who all had a crown on their robes.

"The logo of the Royals… It's a golden crown," said Marlene, her voice lower than a whisper. "That is what it says in the article, too – it's impossible to make that out in the picture, though, it's black and white."

"That can be fixed," said Lily at once; whipping out her wand, she tapped the photo and whispered, " _Farbus!_ " The picture became a coloured one at once; Lily observed that the Royals wore plum-coloured robes with golden linings, and that Marlene was right: their logo was indeed a golden crown.

"Nice one, Lil," said Liz admiringly, while the rest nodded appreciatively. "Then again, you're the best with Charms." Lily blushed slightly and said, "It's an easy charm, Liz…"

"The _golden crown_ , Lily," said Marlene, more urgently. "Just like Liz saw one in a photo of Madam Whitney – this is a connection Madam Brenner has with a golden crown! Could this be what your tea leaves meant?"

"Hang on," Black held up his hands, "What is this business about the golden crown?" Lily sat silently as Marlene and Liz quickly explained to Black and Potter about Lily's tea leaves; as it turned out, they too remembered it once prompted.

"So let me get this straight," said Potter once Marlene had finished talking, "This golden crown thing – is it a warning or a prediction?" Lily shrugged. "I dunno – it seemed more of a warning," she said thoughtfully.

"Blimey, do you realize what this means?" said Potter excitedly, "We may have another suspect for the attacks!" Marlene and Liz exchanged glances with Lily, clearly not sure about this announcement. Black, however, clapped his best friend on the back and said, with the air of someone doing something sinister, "The plot thickens, mate!"

"I reckon we need more information on Madam Brenner, though," said Potter, though he looked as excited as Black. "Does anyone have any relatives in the Ministry – other than parents?" he added to Liz, and she immediately closed her mouth. "There's Maggie –" began Marlene, but Potter cut her off, saying, "Or brothers and sisters – I don't think it's time we tell our parents yet – it's just asking for information, something rather trivial; we shouldn't bother them."

They all sat there in silence, thinking hard. Then Black said tentatively, "Well – there's Andromeda…"

"That's right!" exclaimed Lily. "But will she help us?"

"One way to find out, isn't there, Evans?" asked Black teasingly, and she glared at him, though not very severely. He laughed and said, "I'll send her a letter first thing tomorrow – if there's something to be found, she will find it. And I'll ask her to stay discreet, too," he added.

"That's settled, then," said Potter, "We ask Andromeda what she can find out about this match-fixing scandal, and see what she finds. Maybe there will be something that can help us understand why she may be a potential candidate for Evans's golden crown attacker…"

"Yeah, that's comforting," said Lily dryly, and Liz squeezed her hand. "Don't worry – we'll make sure no one attacks you again," she said feelingly, and Lily smiled at her gratefully. "Yeah, I second Hunt," said Potter, "You'll be safe with us, Evans."

"You were going on about our next move, James," Black reminded Potter, who continued, "Oh, yeah – so, now that we know where the passage goes, we just have to stay on the lookout for Madam Whitney's forays into it – and see where she's been sneaking off to."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell us when you went exploring the passage," said Liz with a touch of irritation. Potter threw up his hands and said, "Oh, come on, Hunt – it was on impulse, we were just passing it by and Sirius here suggested that we go explore it, and we did… And it's not like we stayed there, did we? We came back immediately after we saw where it opens up!"

"All the same, it wasn't fair – we'd decided we'd all go exploring," said Lily, coming to Liz's support at once. Potter rolled his eyes and said, "Fine – we're sorry, OK? If we see Madam Whitney going into that passage – we'll find you first before following her – does that make you happy?"

"Considerably," said Lily, smiling at him with mock sweetness.

"Good, then it's settled," said Potter, and stood up. "'Night, you lot – let's hope that no one gets attacked tonight, and the Professors and the Prefects have everything under control."

"Yup," said Lily with fervour. They climbed the spiral staircase and went to their respective dormitories, all of them in a state of apprehension regarding what lay ahead of them. _I hope Andromeda is able to help_ , Lily thought as she settled into bed. _And I hope there's no attack tonight… If there is, it's time to tell the Professors what we know about the pattern…_

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	29. Chapter 28

Thanks for the review, HARDINMAN and KJ. Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

 **New Allies**

Lily's mood was sombre as they all walked down to breakfast on Saturday morning, about ten days after the last full moon. There had been another attack; a fifth-year Prefect had been found unconscious outside a boys' bathroom on the fourth floor, bleeding through his head. It had appeared as if he'd tried to put up a fight, although obviously an unsuccessful one.

Professor McGonagall had come to the common room the previous evening, bringing this grave news with her. There was a set of new rules – no one would be permitted outside the safety of their common rooms after seven o'clock. The Prefects would have to patrol for more extended shifts, and in pairs as a safety measure. If a student was caught out of bounds after curfew, they would be given a week's worth of detentions; if the offence was repeated, it would be a month's worth. A third transgression would result in detention until the end of that school year, and even a possible suspension, Professor McGonagall had warned them severely, looking at Potter and Black in particular (they had curiously averted their eyes).

True to what had been decided, Lily and Liz had gone to Professor McGonagall that weekend and told her about the pattern of attacks as they had deduced it. Their Head of House had responded curtly, telling them that the staff and Professor Dumbledore had already understood the pattern, and that security was extra tight on the night of the full moon and the night before, too. The Professor had added that the attacker was very wily, having managed to evade capture the last two times. She had dismissed them with a warning to not go out looking for the attacker on their own, and that the teachers would handle it; if not, they could always get help from the Ministry.

Perhaps the only silver lining in this otherwise gloomy time period had been the fact that Andromeda had replied to Black's letter the very next day. She had promised assistance, all the while advising them to be careful, and go to the teachers (something they had already done). She had also told her cousin that they weren't supposed to go looking out for the attacker on their own, a fact they obviously disregarded; they wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Ooh, I really wouldn't fancy playing Quidditch in this weather," said Liz, looking at the enchanted ceiling above; just like the sky outside, it too was a drab grey, though the light snow that descended from it just seemed to vanish about ten feet above them. "It's cold," Liz added as she applied butter and jam to her toast.

"Cold or warm – I believe we're going to win," said Marlene confidently, midway through eating her bacon and eggs. "We lost to Hufflepuff last year – but we can beat them this time!"

"Yeah – but you're forgetting one _crucial_ fact – James isn't fit to play," sighed Liz. Lily looked at her, surprised. "Why? What happened?"

"Food poisoning," said Liz dully. "I met Black earlier today in the common room when you took _eons_ to get ready –" Lily rolled her eyes, "—that's when he told me. Apparently, Potter had too much of dinner last night – and he had a stomach ache, so they took him to the Hospital Wing – Black said that Potter would be let go this morning, but he may not take part in the game."

"That's unfortunate," said Lily, wincing. "Hope he's OK."

"Yeah, he's being let go now, isn't he? Still, if he can't take part in the game – so that's bad! We _really_ have to win today!" exclaimed Marlene. "The only way he can come to play today is if one of our players gets injured such that they're unable to continue. Then he can just sub in… That too, if he's allowed to sit on the bench as a reserve…"

"Wow – this rule is weird," said Lily thoughtfully. "I thought that substitutes can come in when someone on the pitch is tired or something, or when a player is messing up and the Captain thinks he or she ought to be replaced…"

"Nah, otherwise what's the point of having high skill and fitness levels?" asked Liz. "Quidditch is such a demanding sport – so you should only play if you're fit enough, or else not at all."

"It's time," said Mary, her face enthusiastic. "Come on – let's go down to the pitch!"

About half an hour later, Lily and the others were sitting comfortably in their seats. Lily craned her neck to see Black arrive to where they sat, with Remus and Peter in tow. "How's James?" Marlene asked promptly. "Better," said Black, mustering up a strained smile. "He thinks he can play, but Madam Whitney _insisted_ that he sit this one out. It took some doing, but he was able to persuade her – and Madam Brenner, too – that he _was_ fit, so as a compromise, he's in as a reserve today. He's sitting on the bench, with the other reserves – there," he added, and Lily looked to where he was pointing to see three scarlet-clad figures sitting on a bench exactly halfway up the pitch, carrying a broom each.

"Madam Brenner allowed James to stay as a reserve?" asked Liz thoughtfully. "That's odd…"

"Yeah, it is," Marlene put in. "She was so anti-Gryffindor in the first game, and here was a chance to really rub it in – but she didn't, she's actually let James sit on the bench. It's weird, that's what," she added, and her eyes were strangely triumphant.

"You're happy because your primary suspect just did something suspicious," said Lily shrewdly to her, and Marlene went pink. "Maybe a little," she admitted grudgingly, and Liz laughed. "But Mar's got a point," said Mary, "It _is_ suspicious, isn't it?"

"Yeah – but I think we should see how she behaves today before jumping to any more conclusions," said Remus mildly, and Peter nodded vigorously from next to him. Catching her eye, the fat boy said to her, "Do you want to play chess after the game, Lily?"

Tempted as she was, the pile of homework was at an alarming proportion that week, so she said regretfully, "I'd love to, Peter – but I've got a lot of work to do. How about tomorrow, though?"

"Yeah – that works," he said. Tentatively, he added, "Also, er – I need some help with my Charms homework, I don't know much about Colouring Charms – so d'you – d'you think you could –"

"Give you a hand?" she said kindly, and he nodded with relief. "No problem," she said firmly, and his face lit up with a grin.

"Come on – how thick can you get, Pete? Colouring Charms – really?" said Black, a note of disdain in his voice, and Peter flushed. "Hey – back off, Black," said Lily, coming to Peter's defence at once. "Not everyone is good at everything – need I remind you of how Peter checkmated you in six moves just two nights ago?"

Remus laughed along with the other girls, and Black went red. Nevertheless, he said, "Fine – you've made your point, Evans."

"Good – now let's concentrate on Quidditch, you lot – the game's about to start," said Liz in a quelling kind of way, and they all settled down in their seats just as the booming voice of Dorcas Meadowes echoed all over the pitch.

"Good drab morning, everyone," she shouted, and there were laughs and boos from the crowd. "The weather hasn't been too kind lately, but there's good news – according to the forecast, the sun will be out in a few minutes, so it won't be too cold. In the meantime, let us introduce today's teams – starting with the defending champions – Hufflepuff! Captain David Wilson leads his team on the field, with O'Shea, Duff, Kirwan, Bevan, Keane and Taylor! After losing their first match against Ravenclaw, it's a must-win game for Hufflepuff – they lose, they're out of the running!" The Hufflepuff supporters cheered loudly as their team flew onto the pitch before forming a line near the centre.

"And their opponents – the Gryffindors!" shouted Dorcas happily, and Lily cheered enthusiastically along with the others. "Captain Frank Longbottom, followed by Perkins, Lawson, Prewett, Prewett, Shaw and Blythe, a late addition to the team today – as a result of their exciting young Chaser James Potter being unfit to start, so he begins the game – on the bench."

"What – that stupid fool Amy Blythe is playing today?" said Liz loudly to no one in particular. "Come on – look on the bright side, with James not in the team, there's no chance of Blythe not playing a team game! She'll pass to the other Chasers this time, at least!" exclaimed Marlene reassuringly. Liz snorted and said, "That's the bright side, is it? No James – and his replacement _may_ play a team game? Nah, it's more likely that she'll use this match to try and cement her place in the team or something… Think again, Marlene."

"Hey – come on, the match hasn't even started," said Lily soothingly, placing an arm on Liz's shoulder. "Let's see what happens, OK?" she said, and Liz nodded a little sullenly.

The match commenced, and Gryffindor scored twice within the first minute itself. Lily cheered with the others as Frank celebrated the second goal with the team, and play continued. Hufflepuff began to pull back, and it was soon becoming evident that without Potter, the Gryffindor team was lacking a cutting edge to their attacks; twice, they were forced to abandon their moves in order to avoid Bludgers, and it wasn't long before Hufflepuff began to gain a foothold in the game.

"Seventy-sixty to Hufflepuff – Bevan scores!" Dorcas shouted, as the Hufflepuff supporters cheered and shouted in delight. "Play resumes – now it's Longbottom with the Quaffle, down the centre, passes to Shaw, who's on the left flank – good work dodging that Bludger, she nearly got hit – dodges Kirwan, but he won't give in – she ascends and – oh, that's a foul!"

There were screams of anger from the crowd, and Lily felt furious – Kirwan, apparently frustrated with Annie Shaw dodging him, had made a last-ditch attempt to grab the Quaffle; and when that had failed, he'd punched her in the face. "What was he thinking?" Black yelled angrily. "He shouldn't be allowed to play on!"

Up in the air, Madam Brenner seemed to be admonishing Kirwan – before awarding Gryffindor a penalty. Frank took it at once, and scored his fourth goal of the match.

"That's the way, mate!" Black yelled gleefully, exchanging overhead claps with Marlene. Next to her, however, Liz looked pensive. Lily turned to her and asked sardonically, "Well, I know Blythe isn't the best Chaser, but you could at least _try_ to be happy that we're scoring, couldn't you?"

Liz shook her head and said, "No, that's not what I'm thinking about, you idiot. Didn't you see what just happened?"

"Frank scored," said Lily promptly, and Liz rolled her eyes.

"You _do_ have a talent for stating the obvious," she shot back, and Lily punched her lightly on the arm. "What do you mean, then?" she asked, bewildered. Whatever was Liz talking about?

"Madam Brenner awarded us a penalty," said Liz, her face a little flushed. "And I've been observing her since the game began – she hasn't made even a single unfair decision. In fact, she's been a really good referee – she's been fair to both teams!"

"That's odd," said Lily, frowning, "It's quite unlike her to be refereeing fairly against Gryffindor, isn't it? After the first game, that is?"

"Precisely," said Liz, with a tone that clearly indicated surprise with the amount of time it had taken Lily to arrive at that particular conclusion. Lily blushed a little.

"So – here's what I think," said Liz, and Lily noticed excitement in her sea-green eyes for the first time. "I think that Madam Brenner isn't against Gryffindor at all. In fact, I think she's more like – _for Slytherin_ , so to speak. Giving decisions that go their way."

"That's a very interesting theory, Liz," said Lily thoughtfully; it certainly explained the referee's fair judgement that day. "How do we confirm it, though?" she added, as Black and the others cheered again; evidently, Gryffindor had scored another goal.

"By carefully watching Slytherin versus Hufflepuff next Saturday," said Liz, rather smugly.

"Of course!" exclaimed Lily. "You're brilliant!"

"I try," said Liz in a self-satisfied way, earning herself another punch from Lily. "You're spending too much time with the Marauders, Liz," said Lily, and Liz laughed just as Dorcas yelled, "Ooh, that's terrible! Oh, dear – oh, no, poor Frank!"

Distracted, Lily and Liz looked at the pitch in alarm, just in time to see Frank Longbottom being caught by two people; she recognized one as Annie Shaw, but the other one was clad in canary-yellow robes. Next to her, Black and Marlene's angry shouts faded as they noticed the Hufflepuff player help Annie lay Frank tenderly in the middle of the pitch.

"No, Frank!" someone yelled, and to her surprise, she saw Alice Rutherford charge onto the pitch, her face distraught. She joined the exodus of people surrounding the clearly-unconscious form of the Gryffindor Captain, who wasn't moving.

"What happened?" Lily and Liz asked together, worriedly.

"Bludger to the head!" Mary exclaimed, her eyes round with apprehension, "He'd just passed to Annie and didn't notice the Bludger that Wilson hit at him – it happened so fast!"

"Yeah, and if Wilson hadn't caught him, he'd have had it from me!" Black yelled, but Marlene simply snorted before saying, "You – jinxing a sixth-year?"

"It was horrible," said Peter timidly. "But it wasn't intentional – so I don't think you should go around picking fights with David Wilson, Sirius," he added to Black.

"Like he could," said Liz derisively, and Black frowned and said, "Watch it, Hunt – I'm already in a bad mood!"

"They're carrying him off," announced Remus, and they all turned to the pitch in time to see Frank being levitated into by Madam Whitney. The Gryffindor supporters gave him a standing ovation as he was stretchered off; he was still unconscious, and Lily hoped that he would be all right – after all, head injuries were serious business – but still, if one knew magic, that would stop the worst of it, wouldn't it?

"Alice is in a bad way," said Liz softly from next to her. Lily turned her attention to Alice Rutherford, who was sobbing over the shoulder of – Professor McGonagall, of all people (Lily hadn't really counted the Transfiguration teacher as the comforting type). "Yeah," she said, "I hope Frank will be OK – that looked nasty!" At that very moment, Alice tore herself away from her Head of House and began to follow Madam Whitney and a still-unconscious Frank towards the Hospital Wing.

"With Frank Longbottom unable to continue, It's Annie Shaw who now wears the Captain's badge as Vice-Captain!" Dorcas shouted into the Magical Megaphone. "Gryffindor have a substitute coming on – it's going to be James Potter, who was unable to start the match due to illness, who now takes his Captain's place with the score tied at a hundred points each!" The Gryffindor supporters cheered raucously as Potter lined up with the Gryffindor team and mounted his broomstick.

"Yeah – that's what I'm talking about!" Black yelled happily, as they all saw both teams kick off from the ground, and Potter grabbing the Quaffle immediately.

Within minutes, the whole dynamic of the game began to change. Lily watched with growing wonder as Potter put one, two, three, four, five goals past the Hufflepuff Keeper Scott Keane in quick succession. _He really is a prodigious talent_ , she thought with grudging admiration as Potter scored yet again, sending Black and the others into a frenzy of delight.

"Potter scores his eighth!" yelled Dorcas enthusiastically. "Gryffindor lead Hufflepuff two hundred to one-twenty, and Potter's been outstanding since he's come onto the pitch – what a player!"

"Yeah, you said it, Dorcas," said Liz, grinning from ear to ear. "James is incredible!"

"He _is_ rather good," said Lily, offering what she hoped was a mandatory bare minimum – and earning herself a glare from Liz nonetheless. "Come on – I know you have your differences, but for once, can you please say that Potter's ruddy brilliant?" her best friend asked her, frowning.

Lily sighed. "Fine – Potter's an amazing Quidditch player. There, I said it – happy?"

"Considerably," said Liz, grinning at her mischievously. Lily rolled her eyes and focused on the match.

"Two hundred and fifty to one-thirty now – Potter's scored eleven times after coming onto the pitch, one shy of the record… And I think Perkins has seen the Snitch!" came Dorcas's voice. "She's diving – but O'Shea is right behind her – and –"

More than two hundred people held their breath before Dorcas yelled, "And Perkins has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor win!"

Madam Brenner's whistle blew as if to confirm this fact, sending the Gryffindors into a delirium of delight. Lily hugged Liz as the others screamed and shouted happily, and Black gave a delighted roar as Potter and the rest of the team landed on the ground. The three Marauders all ran out of their seats to greet their fourth member, and Liz and Marlene followed suit.

"Well – now we're favourites to win the Cup!" Mary exclaimed enthusiastically as they made their way to congratulate Potter at a less urgent pace. Lily nodded and said, "I hope we win it this year!" She remembered Potter's words to her last year, after Hufflepuff had beaten Slytherin to win the Cup last year. _I'll prefer to win it outright – in style_ , he'd said to her. Well, they were on course to do that with two wins and a healthy point difference. _I hope we_ do _win it in style_ , she thought…

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March seemed to pass by extremely fast, and before Lily knew it, April had arrived, and it was the Easter holidays – however, she was going to stay at Hogwarts that year. The third-years had been given a huge amount of homework, so much so that Lily had opted to have full use of the library during the holidays instead of going home to her stuck-up sister. Besides, the holidays would be a good opportunity to spend some time working with Severus for a change, since they had largely avoided one another for the better part of the past three months.

At ease after telling Professor McGonagall what they knew, the third-year Gryffindors hadn't gone out to explore the castle during the full moon in March, presuming that the teachers and Prefects would have the situation under control. Therefore, it had come as a huge shock to them when another student had been attacked just before curfew in a rather deserted corridor on the second floor. No one had seen what had happened, but it had been the same Blood-Clotting Curse that Lily had been hit with, or so Madam Whitney had told them. It was clear that this spell seemed to be the attacker's signature move, and that he or she was getting extremely brazen.

Following this latest attack, they had redoubled their efforts in solving their two mysteries. Lily and Liz secretly practised the Disillusionment Charm, and were heartened when Lily was able to apply it on a table, which resulted it becoming translucent for a few seconds at least. Potter and Black had taken to keeping a watch on Madam Whitney turn by turn, but so far they hadn't been able to find out where in Hogsmeade the matron kept going.

On the other hand, Liz's hypothesis about Madam Brenner had been confirmed when the referee gave a lot of decisions in Slytherin's favour during their match against Ravenclaw, culminating in a Slytherin victory after one of the dirtiest matches Lily had ever seen; there were several fouls, a few of them quite dangerous; the Ravenclaw Captain had opted to play on after suffering a broken arm after an altercation with a Slytherin Beater, and to top it all, there was a double substitution after the offending Slytherin Beater and one of his Ravenclaw counterparts knocked each other out with their bats after a confrontation. The Quidditch teacher's pro-Slytherin attitude had been established, though – and Andromeda had promised to keep that in mind as she looked into Madam Brenner.

Lily's lessons were growing to be more and more difficult. Arithmancy required a different kind of concentration – luckily, she was doing well in that subject. In Charms and Potions, she remained consistent with her performances, resulting in Professor Slughorn giving her more effusive praise than ever to her embarrassment (and secret enjoyment). She was still struggling with Transfiguration, but she was improving, and in Care of Magical Creatures her work was steady if not spectacular. In their DADA classes, Professor Walcott had finally moved on to basic Hexes and Curses, and Lily was getting quite good at using them. She would always chat for a little while with their teacher after classes, mostly telling her what a good job she was doing – a habit she'd started after learning the horrors Professor Walcott had suffered in her past. She didn't know why she was doing it – but there was a part of her that felt terribly sorry for the teacher, and she hoped that her company would help Professor Walcott deal with the death of her family.

School resumed after the Easter holidays, and to everyone's irritation, their workload seemed to increase as the summer term began. Lily spent most of her time in the library, back to studying only with Liz after enjoying a couple of study sessions with Severus during the holidays, but mostly using that time to catch up. Severus had told her that the attacks were being received very positively in Slytherin House, and quite a few of the older students had expressed interest in helping the attacker. However, Marcus Brutus, the seventh-year Prefect, had expressed an opinion attacking Muggleborns was utterly unnecessary, and questioned the point of it, something which had led to an ugly confrontation between him and Narcissa Black, who had proceeded to insult his parentage. Lily had felt a stab of sympathy for Marcus; having met him earlier that year, she knew that he'd seemed to be like Andromeda, a Slytherin who was good at heart and outspoken against blood purity.

She was sitting in the library with Liz one sunny Saturday afternoon in late April, wishing that she could go outside and just lie in the sun, but being unable to do so due to the pile of homework she was supposed to get through. She doubted that they would get anything done that day, because it was a full moon night – which had dampened their mood, considering that an attack was imminent. She was discussing this sombrely with Liz when Black entered the library and ran straight up to them. Madam Pince, the librarian, looked at him disapprovingly as he came to a stop at their table, panting. "There you are – I've been looking everywhere for you!" he wheezed. Lily raised her eyebrows. "Why?" she asked shortly and suspiciously, as Black caught his breath.

"Because," said Black importantly, "James just saw Madam Brenner heading towards the passage."

That had her attention at once. "When?" she asked quickly.

"Right now – about five minutes ago – so I ran to find you – James is waiting near the passage now, he asked me to find you and get you so that you don't give us a hard time again if we go to investigate it on our own this time too," said Black, speaking very quickly.

"Too right we would," said Liz smugly, and began to pack up her things. "Come on, Lily – let's go – we can do this later," she added, and Lily instantly obeyed. She felt a little jolt of excitement as they briskly followed Black to where the passage was; she was looking forward to this. Even if she encountered anyone unfriendly, she was sure that the four of them could take them down together – after all, they were all good at using spells when in danger.

They all came to a stop as they entered the corridor where the passage was located. Lily saw Potter standing next to the portrait of Gregory the Smarmy, who was regarding them rather suspiciously. To her surprise, Potter wasn't alone; Lily recognized Fabian Prewett standing with him.

"Hey, Fab," she greeted the tall sixth-year, who smiled at her in acknowledgement. She was now almost able to tell the differences between the Prewett twins; Fabian wore his hair longer, had honey-brown eyes compared to Gideon's more hazel ones, and had more freckles on his face than his twin. Also, he was a little more muscular than Gideon; he was also more outgoing, more social, and more prone to impulsiveness. Gideon was the calmer one.

"Lily, Liz," said Fabian, his smile widening. "Sneaking into Hogsmeade? Whatever happened to the rule-abiding versions of you two?"

"Duty calls," said Liz promptly, her eyes mischievous. Fabian snorted and said, "This is your duty, is it – catching the git who's going around attacking people? Well, you certainly exhibit the qualities of a Gryffindor – and you too, Lily," he added, looking at her. She smiled and said, "Are you coming with us, then?"

"Yep," said the redhead shortly. "James saw Madam Whitney head down the passage about ten minutes ago, so she has a bit of a head start – but we will catch up to her by the time she reaches Hogsmeade. Nice discovery, by the way, James – even _I_ didn't know about this one!" he added to Potter, and Black let out a little noise of protest. "I found this passage!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but aren't we forgetting _who_ guessed that there could be a passage here?" Lily asked, a little loftily. _I should get the credit_ , she thought firmly. _Shouldn't I?_

"All right, all right – you all deserve to be acknowledged for this _corking_ discovery, but time is running out – so, let's go!" said Fabian, holding up a hand. They nodded at once.

A few minutes later, they were walking at a moderately fast pace along the passage, aided by the light from their wand tips. The passage was wide and levelled out after about five minutes, so the going wasn't too difficult – but as their quarry had a head start, they couldn't afford to get too close to her without giving themselves away.

Lily was a little confused with Fabian's presence. Had Potter decided to include him in their investigation, then? Shouldn't he have run it by them all before doing so? In any case, they would've said yes – Fab was pretty cool, and he was a sixth-year who probably knew loads more magic than them all put together. So had Potter taken the liberty of involving him? Yeah, that sounded like something Potter would do…

 _You're doing it again_ , said the voice in her head. _You're judging him without knowing any of the facts – you have decided to give him a chance, haven't you? Then do it – it may not be what you think at all!_ Deciding to do exactly that, she turned to Fabian and asked carefully, "So – how is it that you're here, Fab?" She didn't want to make it sound like she didn't want him there, so she hoped that using his nickname would help her convey to him that her question was only out of curiosity.

Fabian smiled and said, "I saw James and Sirius snooping around this corridor, and I'd seen them at it a few times before – so I decided to find out what these two clowns were doing," he said, turning to Potter and Black, both of whom grinned at the same time as they hurried forward. "James told me about your investigation while Sirius went to fetch you two – but don't worry, I'm not going to tell on you or something," he added quickly, quite possibly catching the slight dismay that had crept on to her face. She blushed. _I should really learn to hide my emotions better_ , she thought.

"Me and Gid – we've been doing our own investigation," he said conversationally, and Lily looked at him in surprise. Behind her, she sensed that Liz was paying attention, too. "Yeah, that's right – you see, Alice is our friend, as are a few of the other Prefects –"

"What?" interrupted Potter, his tone incredulous. "I thought you said only prats become Prefects!"

"And while that _is_ true, James," said Fabian soothingly, "It helps to be friends with them so that they let you get away with – er, a few things, here and there." Potter grinned. "That's true," he said, nodding in agreement.

"Anyway – ever since that Prefect got attacked, we've been patrolling the castle every time Alice or any of the other Gryffindor Prefects – _or_ a Muggleborn Prefect – has a patrolling shift. We've been following them around, see? Well – we do put Disillusionment Charms on ourselves, so they don't know we're there. But we failed to prevent an attack the last time – because three of the Prefects on patrol were Gryffindors or Muggleborn, and we picked two as more likely to be attacked than the third – but the third one was attacked," he said, shaking his head sorrowfully as they walked.

 _See, I told you_ , said the annoyingly condescending voice in her head _. Good you didn't pre-judge him, isn't it?_ Lily had to admit grudgingly that the voice had a point, and she was glad that she hadn't snapped at Potter for including Fabian.

"And don't tell this to Alice or anyone, OK?" Fabian added, clearly as an afterthought. "They won't allow it – what with the new curfew rules, it's best if no one knows we've been going around trying to prevent more attacks."

"So – in light of this, I suggested to Fab that we all join forces – and get to the bottom of this," said Potter. "But of course, this requires the consensus of the group in charge of this investigation," he continued with mock-pompousness, and Black laughed. "So – d'you lot mind saying yes, because we've sort of already agreed to work together?"

Liz laughed and said, "Oh, come on – we have no problem!"

"Yeah, seconded," said Lily, "In fact, it'll be great!"

"I like your enthusiasm," said Fab, "And I hope we can catch this knob before he attacks any more people."

The spent the rest of the walk making more small talk, until coming abruptly to what was a dead end; there was nothing but a rocky wall in front of them. "What now?" asked Liz, and Potter grinned. "Stand back," he said, and drew his wand. He tapped the wall and said, " _Specialis Revelio!_ "

Before their very eyes, the wall began to change. The rocky surface began to smoothen, until it was completely level. A rectangular shape materialized on the wall, and Lily's eyes widened as the wall turned to a door, complete with hinges on one side and a doorknob in the other. Potter tapped the doorknob and said, " _Alohomora!_ " The door opened to reveal a dark room ahead of them.

"Wow – nicely done, mate," Fabian complimented. "How did you know how to do that?"

"Well – we explored this passage before, didn't we?" Potter said, giving her and Liz an apologetic look, earning himself a scorching glare from them both. "So, we tried a few things until I got frustrated and tried the _Specialis Revelio_ Charm. That's when it worked, see?"

"Yeah, I see now," said Fabian, grinning. "Come on – let's see where we've ended up."

They followed the sixth-year into the room ahead of them. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust as she as she walked; the room was damp and dusty, and stank of rotten meat and mildew. They stuck close together until coming to a flight of steps; they climbed those and ended up in another room, and thankfully, a door. Fabian tried it and found it unlocked; they opened it and stepped out of the house. Lily saw that they were in an alleyway; they walked until they came to the main road. To her surprise, they were only about fifty metres away from the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, what do you know – we're in _Hogsmeade!_ " said Liz sardonically.

"Now, we have to find Madam Whitney," said Black. "And in light of history – we ought to stick together."

"First sensible thing you've said all year, Black," said Lily dryly, and everyone except Black guffawed. He had no comeback, though, so they all walked around rather aimlessly, looking into a few of the shops and trying to peer into houses. Almost an hour passed, and the afternoon sun began to hang low in the sky as they still looked around, disappointed. "We lost her," Black announced dispiritedly.

"You think?" Liz snapped, and he looked at her, rather hurt. "Sorry," said Liz quickly, "I'm just disappointed – I thought we'd find something out today – and I took it out on you."

"We're all disappointed, Hunt," said Black gently, more gently than Lily would've given him credit for. "But come on – tonight's another full moon, maybe we can spend it in another broom closet like we did earlier –"

But that was as far as he got before Lily let out a scandalized noise, Potter guffawed, and Liz hit Black firmly on the head. "Oww!" he exclaimed, though his grey eyes danced with mischief. Fabian allowed himself an indulgent smile before saying rather seriously, "So, wait – you lot think these attacks happen on full moons – and full moons only?"

"Yeah, there's a pattern, Fab," said Potter promptly, and Fabian looked as if he was having an epiphany. He smacked his head and said, "I _can't_ believe we didn't realize the pattern!"

"Hey, don't worry, Fab, it isn't really an easy pattern to deduce," said Potter soothingly, "The point is that there's probably going to be an attack tonight, and since no one was able to prevent one last month, I think we should all investigate tonight and see if we can catch the attacker in the act – what do you lot think?"

There was a moment's pause, before Black's face split into a huge grin. "I'm in!" he said gleefully.

"As am I," said Liz, "You'll join us, right, Fab?"

"Indubitably," said Fabian, "And what's more – we can get Gid, and put Disillusionment Charms all over you lot so that you can move around undetected – how does that sound?"

"Sounds great!" said Lily with relief. "And I think we should get Marlene, Peter and Mary too… That way, we can split up and cover more ground, which will increase our chances of catching the attacker in the act, won't it?"

"But so many people – won't it be a bit of an issue, with me or Gid in charge of two groups?" asked Fabian, frowning.

Potter grinned and said, "We can split into groups of three, Fab."

"I'm going to go with Liz," said Lily, and Liz nodded and said, "We decided earlier – if we're going to wander around again, we're going to stick together."

"In that case, I'll come with you," volunteered Potter. "We won't even need Disillusionment Charms – we have our own ways of being invisible," he added, mock-mysteriously.

Lily understood at once that Potter was talking about his Invisibility Cloak and nodded; after all, she was all right going with someone as annoying and obnoxious as Potter if Liz was going to accompany them. She rather liked the idea that the three of them would be without a pseudo-chaperone such as Fabian or Gideon. Next to her, Liz nodded too, and Black looked extremely put out.

"You're kidding, right?" he exclaimed incredulously, rounding on Potter. "Why can't I go with you, James?"

"Because, you fool," Potter closed his eyes as if reluctant to say anything more, but then he ploughed on anyway. "How else would we –"

"Oh, I understand!" said Black quickly, giving Potter a significant look as if to indicate that he understood something that he clearly didn't wish to say in front of Lily and the others, who were watching this odd exchange silently. Potter stopped talking at once, but not before glaring at Black, as though he had been on the verge of letting something slip.

"Right, in that case I'll take Sirius and one of the others," said Fabian, in a tone that indicated firmly that they should get back down to business. Black nodded and said, "Yeah, that'll be fun, Fab – now shall we all get back to the castle to tell the others? We need to hurry, or there won't be time to explain all this to them!" His stomach gave a huge rumble as he spoke, prompting Liz to say dismissively, "Oh – just say you're hungry, Black!"

"Right you are, Hunt," said Black, grinning. Together, they all made their way back into the musty, abandoned house where they'd come from. They spoke little as they returned to the castle, each going over their game plan for the long night that lay ahead of them…

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"Ouch, that was my foot!" Lily whispered furiously as Potter stepped on her foot rather hard. "Sorry!" he whispered back. She shook her head as they crept along a third-floor corridor, moving slowly so as to not give away their location and to keep them fully covered with Potter's Invisibility Cloak. Maybe I should've gone with Gideon or Fabian, she thought with irritation. Black and Marlene were with Fabian, while Gideon had taken Peter and Mary with him; all of them had been placed under Disillusionment Charms. They had decided to meet in the common room by one in the morning to report their findings.

"Can't you watch where you're going, Potter?" Lily exclaimed softly as her toe smarted with pain.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, we're under a Cloak of Invisibility –"

"Yeah, but last time I checked, it doesn't prevent you from seeing the people _under_ the cloak –"

"If you two stop arguing for _one second_ – I think I've spotted something very interesting," Liz whispered calmly. Lily held her breath and listened, but could hear nothing. "What did you see?" she asked Liz softly as they walked.

"I saw someone – or something, I can't be sure," Liz whispered back. "It was a black shape – that materialized out of thin air, I think –"

"That's the attacker," whispered Lily decisively trying to suppress the nervous excitement that she was feeling, "It sounds like him – he must have taken the Disillusionment Charm off of himself, see? That must mean he's about to attack – or has already attacked and is getting away!"

"It could also be a she," said Potter thoughtfully, but Liz interrupted him, saying, "Yeah, yeah – we'll argue if it's a bull or cow later, James – now come on, let's go!" Lily suppressed a giggle as they inched forward with more urgency. _Just like Liz_ , she thought, grinning inwardly.

They turned the corner just in time to see a black shape enter a room at the very end of the corridor. They hastened their pace until they were just outside the room; Lily realized that it was a classroom she'd never been into. She put her finger on her lips and her companions nodded before craning their ears and trying to listen.

She could hear muffled voices coming from inside the classroom; there was certainly more than one person in the room. Was the attacker meeting someone, then? One of the voices was gruff, and it sounded more like a man's than a woman's. The other voice she couldn't make out at all; it was raspy, low, and barely audible. "I told you it's a bloke," she whispered to Potter triumphantly, but he just shushed her and urged her to listen. She quickly concentrated, but she was completely unable to make out what the people inside were saying, and by the looks of it, neither Liz nor Potter were having any more luck than she was.

They stood there for about half an hour before the door opened and the hooded figure stepped out. She felt a creepy feeling at the back of her neck, and she raised her wand instinctively in case the attacker sensed that they were there, hidden. Potter and Liz imitated her, but the attacker simply put a Disillusionment Charm over himself; that made trailing him impossible.

 _Maybe we'll see who the bloke was talking to_ , she thought, trying to rally. _Maybe it's his partner…_

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation, as if something was swooping low over her, immersing her body in its shadow… With a jolt, she realized that someone was performing the Spell to detect human presence. _We've been compromised!_ she thought desperately, and raised her wand – but nothing happened.

Perhaps the other person couldn't see them, or they didn't want to find out that they were there… Either way, they stayed where they for a few minutes but no spell or jinx came in their direction. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, they nodded to each other and began to slowly inch away from the classroom. They crept along the corridors, heading back to Gryffindor tower, each one of them immersed in their own thoughts.

So the attacker had a partner. Well, that made sense, or else who was the attacker meeting? Also, the partner was extremely smart; they had used a _Homenum Revelio_ immediately after the attacker had gone… She had deduced by now that the partner had a Disillusionment Charm over themselves to hide their presence, else they would have seen him or her. _That makes our job harder_ , she thought despondently… They had come no closer to figuring out who the attacker was, and had made an unwelcome discovery that the attacker wasn't working alone. With low spirits, she walked back to the common room with her companions, hoping that the others had had better luck than they'd had…

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"There was an attack," said Mary in a hushed tone, her eyes full of tears.

Lily, Liz and Potter looked at her in shock; they'd spent the past ten minutes sitting in the cozy armchairs next to the fire in the nearly-deserted common room. They'd just started to discuss who the attacker could be when Mary and Peter had joined them, both looking sombre.

Peter stood next to Mary, nodding vigorously, as she spoke. "It was a girl – Jasmine Sheen, I think her name is – a sixth-year Prefect from Hufflepuff – we don't know why she was out or how long she was there – but her ankle was bluish, so Gideon sent a Patronus to Professor McGonagall while trying to repair the damage – he kept us Disillusioned until that girl was taken away by Professor McGonagall – she told Gideon to go to her office, but he dropped us off here first before going to there. I think she's going to make him tell her what he was doing there after curfew…"

"Gideon was really upset," put in Peter. "He knows that girl – she's in a few of his classes, he said, and he was trying to wake her up, but she remained unconscious – in the end he just let Professor McGonagall take her away. We saw the whole thing, Disillusioned – it was _awful_!"

"How terrible!" exclaimed Lily. "But wait –" she added, as a sudden thought came to her, "Tthis means that when we saw the attacker, he must have already done his dirty work and come to meet his partner –"

"Wait, slow down," said Mary, holding up her hands. "What are you saying? You _saw_ the attacker? You _actually_ saw him? And what's this about a partner?"

"Well, the attacker isn't working alone," began Liz, while Potter wordlessly handed a Chocolate Frog each to Peter and Mary, who still looked upset. "He has a partner – we know it's a he because we heard his voice –"

But at that very moment, the portrait hole opened and Fabian walked in with Black and Marlene in tow. They came straight to where Lily and the others were seated, and Black said, "Dull night, nothing to report – wait, what happened?" he added, raising his eyebrows as he scanned their faces.

With hushed tones, Peter and Mary shared what had happened with the new arrivals, whose expressions grew more and more sombre as they heard their tale. Then Potter explained what they'd seen, how they'd nearly been compromised but for the Invisibility Cloak, and their discovery about the attacker's partner. They sat up talking late into the night, and were soon joined by a weary-looking Gideon, who told them that Professor McGonagall had let him (and Fabian) off with a warning after learning of their reasons for wandering around after hours (he hadn't mentioned the involvement of the third-years). They discussed every possibility about who the attacker could be, and it wasn't until Peter fell asleep and drooled a little over himself that they decided to call it a night.

"So, to summarize, this is what we know," said Liz, whose sea-green eyes were surprisingly alert. Potter and Black groaned, but she silenced them by saying crossly, "No, we must go over it so that everyone is on the same page, so pay attention, you two. One, the attacker is a bloke. Two, he has a signature spell – the Blood-Clotting Curse. We read up on that one – it's dangerous, lethal, and if left untreated for six to eight hours, could even be fatal. But no one has died so far – mainly because they've been found within three to four hours, and there hasn't been any long-term damage to them, too." Lily nodded; she'd been told that she'd lain, unconscious, for about two hours before she'd been found – and yet, she'd been on her feet within a couple of days.

Liz was still speaking. "Three, he's working with someone – someone who is very smart, resourceful, and excellent with magic. That person – or the attacker himself – could have some connection with the golden crown. And finally – the attacker is from Slytherin. The last bit is mere conjecture, though."

"A succinct summary," complimented Marlene, yawning a little.

"Yeah, we _know_ , Hunt – now please, _stop talking_! It's three in the morning!" said Potter irritably. Liz grinned and said, "Fine – go on, then, go to bed. We'll talk tomorrow." He nodded and began to walk towards the spiral staircase. Everyone else began to follow.

Turning to the Prewett twins, who had been listening to Liz's monologue silently, Lily said gratefully, "Thanks for your help, Gid and Fab – you're making it so much easier, and your presence is reassuring!"

They grinned identically and said, "Anytime, Lily… Though it's a real shame that we couldn't prevent an attack tonight… Well, next full moon, we're _going_ to catch this git!"

"I hope so, too," said Lily fervently, giving him a small smile. "OI, Black!" she called across the room, and Sirius Black paused at the foot of the stairs to the dormitories. He waited, and Lily quickly walked up to him. "Did Andromeda reply?" she asked him in a low voice. He said, "Yeah, she did – she said she was on to something, and that she'll explain in more detail in her next letter…"

"OK – that's good news – let me know, OK?" she said, and he nodded reassuringly before climbing up the stairs. She followed suit, preoccupied. _These attacks have gone on for long enough_ , she thought furiously… _We must get to the bottom of this…_

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 **Author's Note:**

Sorry it took me a little longer to update, but the semester's hit. As a compromise, this chapter is longer than usual. Happy reading!

PS: Reviewers, if you like, you can post what you think the golden crown symbolizes in your reviews. Appreciated! Thanks!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	30. Chapter 29

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty-nine. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

 **The Golden Crown**

"Andromeda wrote back!" Black exclaimed excitedly as he came running up to them, with the other Marauders in his wake. Lily looked up from the Potions textbook that she'd been reading intently for the better part of the last couple of hours, and Liz chose this moment to say cheekily, "Well, my congratulations, Black – you're the only person who's been able to distract Lily from that book today!" Lily narrowed her eyes good-naturedly at Liz and said, "I could say the same about you and that Transfiguration textbook you're reading!"

Liz snorted and said, "Well, then you'd be wrong, for this is what me and Mar have been up to – at least for the past hour!" She held up a piece of parchment, and Lily saw that there was a lively game of hangman in progress. Beside Liz, Marlene blushed a little. Lily rolled her eyes and said dryly, "Well done – it seems like your English vocabulary has been enhanced by what, er – five words?"

Potter laughed and said, "Nice one, Evans!" She smiled too, and Liz mock-glared at her before turning to Black and saying, "Well – what did she say, Black?"

"Right," said Black, and opened the letter and read:

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _Based on what I found, I think there's more to this than meets the eye. There's a conspiracy here – a big one._

 _Roberta Brenner was cleared of all charges of match-fixing – she was accused of under-performing in exchange for money. Three of her teammates were found guilty, however – they were banned for life from playing Quidditch ever again, and were fined a hefty sum too. Your Madam Brenner, however, was found guilty of knowing about her underperforming teammates, and though she managed to avoid a lifetime ban – she was banned for five years. She was also fined, and based on my findings, she found it tough to get back into the sport. She spent a number of years off the map before finding employment with the Kenmare Kestrels as assistant coach. She worked there until the end of last year before Madam Hooch was offered the job to coach the Appleby Arrows after their old coach retired last year, a job she accepted, as you very well know. That prompted the Ministry to look for a new Flying instructor for Hogwarts – and Madam Brenner passed all their complicated, rigorous tests to land the position. That's how she came to be at Hogwarts._

 _However, what struck me as odd was the fact that her appointment had been largely pushed by Quentin Braddock, who is the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, poised to take over at the beginning of August this year after the current Head, Alastair Swann, retires. What is even more interesting is that Mr Braddock's son, Julius, just joined the Slytherin Quidditch team this year – yeah, I still know who plays Quidditch in my own House team, Sirius – and the fact that he's been playing so well – it's a little fishy, isn't it? I spoke to my boss, Graham Gilmore (I think you might remember Mr Gilmore, he'd come to Grimmauld place for a party about five years ago), and he was of the same opinion as I. He told me to lie low as he made some discreet inquiries – I'm not quite sure what he did, but he did inform me just this afternoon that a couple of Ministry officials from the Department of Magical Games and Sports – they're on the Ethics Committee, I believe – will be in the crowd tomorrow, disguised – for the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff game. They're going to – well, let's just say, they're going to do their job. Mind you, Mr Braddock is in the dark about all of this, and the order seems to have come from Mr Swann himself._

 _Mr Gilmore has asked me to not say a word about this to anyone, so I cannot divulge anything more to you in this letter – but since it was you and your friends who stumbled upon this, Sirius, I think you deserve to have an idea about what is going on. Expect some fireworks in the next few days, Cousin – and well done, the hunch you and your friends had was spot on._

 _Take care, and say hi to Lily for me._

 _Love,_

 _Andromeda_

"Nice of her to say hi to me," said Lily, gratified.

"Yes, that's the whole point of this letter," said Marlene sarcastically, and Lily glared at her as Mary laughed. Liz merely smiled and said, "Well, Black – we have to hand it to Andromeda, she really did some great work!"

"Yeah, she did! After all, she's _my_ cousin!" said Black proudly, and Marlene said immediately, "Easy there – don't take the credit for her hard work!" Lily laughed along with the rest as Potter let out a cough that sounded oddly like 'Typical!'

"But come on – I was the first one to say that she was being paid off by the Slytherins," protested Black. "And that's what it was, wasn't it?"

There was a pause, following which Liz said (rather unwillingly, it seemed to Lily), "I guess you did, Black – though you were not fully right – it was Braddock's Dad who was paying off Madam Brenner, not the Slytherin team –"

"OK – so, to come to the point," said Remus mildly yet firmly, cutting across Liz. "It seems like Mr Braddock paid Madam Brenner to do some biased refereeing – though we don't know that for sure – to aid the Slytherins in winning their matches – so that when they eventually win the Cup, Julius Braddock's performance will be credited as the reason for their win, giving him a strong stepping stone to try out for Quidditch teams in the League."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, mate," said Potter, clapping Remus on the back.

"So that's it?" said Mary, who looked a little put out. "All this hard work – and we don't even get to put the final nail in the coffin?"

"Well, Mary – in the real world, this is as far as it gets for us," said Marlene sagely, "It's out of our hands, and the grown-ups get to handle this stuff. Sometimes it's a little unfair!"

"I agree," said Lily. "I mean, it was mostly you, Marlene, Remus and of course, Peter –" she stole a sideways glance at Peter, and saw the relief on his face; she had a sneaking suspicion that he'd thought she'd forget to mention him and that he was relieved that she hadn't, "—who did all the background work, something that allowed us a plausible enough case to be taken seriously. And now, when that hunch has turned out to be a big conspiracy, some random blokes from the Ministry will get the credit!" She made a face as she spoke.

"A win is a win all the same, Lily," said Liz reassuringly. "And besides, now that we've solved one mystery, we can redouble our focus on the others – right, everyone?"

"Right!" chorused everyone else, and Lily felt her heart lift once again.

"Well – now we can all focus on Madam Whitney – who could be our attacker's unknown accomplice," said Potter thoughtfully. "True," Marlene agreed, "Once we see tomorrow's showdown, that is!"

"Yeah," said Lily. "Tomorrow's going to be an interesting day…"

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"Well, that was boring," said Liz as they walked back into the castle after the match the next afternoon. "I mean, Madam Brenner was as biased as ever – though she did try hard to make it less obvious, I'll give her that. Still – I wish that the Ministry blokes would have stopped the match or something, and arrested Madam Brenner right there, that would've been fun…"

"You have really weird ideas of fun, Liz," said Lily reprovingly. "In any case, Slytherin beating Hufflepuff by two-hundred-and-fifty to thirty will do nothing but help the case against Madam Brenner!"

"Yeah, you're right," said her best friend. "I guess we'll find out what happens sooner rather than later."

They didn't have to wait too long, for it was the Daily Prophet on Monday morning that brought all the answers. Lily opened her copy and let out an excited gasp, causing the other Gryffindors to stare at her curiously. With Liz and Mary on either side of her, and Marlene in front of her craning to catch every word, she read:

" _ **Quidditch Conspiracy – Hogwarts Flying teacher suspended; Investigation pending**_

" _In an extraordinary turn of events, Roberta Brenner, who took over as the Flying instructor at the beginning of the current school year, has been suspended after it was found that she had accepted bribes in exchange for refereeing in favour of the Slytherin House Quidditch team. Officials from the Ethics Committee of the Department of Magical Games and Sports were present during the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff match last Saturday, and according to sources close to Hogwarts, Madam Brenner was interrogated after the match where she reportedly confessed to the aforementioned accusation."_

Lily looked up and said, "It's not like you can't read, is it?"

"Shhh, Lil – just read on," said Liz, who seemed to be drinking in every word. Next to Mary, the Marauders had arrived, too – apparently, she had quite the audience. Sighing, she continued.

" _Ministry officials remain tight-lipped about the identity of the person who allegedly bribed Madam Brenner; however, reliable sources tell us that it was someone from within the Ministry itself, presumably at a high post. 'For security reasons, we cannot give you this information,' said a senior member of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. 'However, we can confirm that Madam Brenner has been charged with accepting bribes and our investigation is ongoing.'"_

She set the paper down and said, "Well, there you go – that's one mystery solved. Madam Brenner was a bribe-taker…"

"Yeah, and apparently, it's true – she did take bribes from Mr Braddock, who is the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," said a voice, and Lily jumped and wheeled around to see Fabian Prewett standing there along with Gideon, who nodded sombrely. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "Molly told us – you know her husband Arthur works in the Ministry, don't you? Well, he heard that Mr Braddock is going to be investigated for these claims."

"Julius sure looks upset," said Gideon in an undertone, and they all looked over to the Slytherin table to see the Chaser in question get up and stalk off in the general direction of his common room. "Well, say what you will – he may have been a little arrogant and too confident of his abilities, but he was a good Quidditch player."

"Praising your enemies? Really, Gid – is this what you want to teach your younger teammates who look up to you?" asked Potter, a little mockingly. To Lily's surprise, however, Gideon smiled widely and said, "The first step to becoming an athlete with class – is to learn to respect your opponents. You have a lot to learn, young Potter." Fabian nodded seriously at his brother's pronouncement, and Potter looked abashed. Chortling, the twins walked away.

"Well, let's see what happens in the final," said Marlene, "I'm sure you're going to win this for us, James." She patted him slightly, and he grinned cockily. "Yeah, that's right – we're going to win it this time!"

 _I hope so too_ , thought Lily. _I hope we win it in style, just like you wanted to, Potter…_

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Friday night was a tense affair in the common room. Most people were sitting quietly; the next day's game was going to be an important one, and with Ravenclaw only trailing them by fifty points (thanks to their thumping three-hundred-and-fifty win against Hufflepuff earlier in the year), every result was possible.

Lily was deeply immersed in her Transfiguration notes when someone grabbed her shoulder and shook it rather roughly. Frowning, she looked up to find a tense-looking Liz.

"How can you study at a time like this?" her best friend asked, looking at her with surprise and exasperation in her eyes. "We could be on our way to winning the first Championship in the last _five_ years – aren't you at least a _little_ bit excited?"

"Well, I am," said Lily, setting down her notes, "But the exams are only two weeks away, and I need to study, too… Besides, it's just a game," she added. The scandalized expressions on her friends' faces told her that she'd said the wrong thing.

" _Just a game?_ " echoed Liz incredulously. "Lily – we haven't won the Cup in five years. We were yet to come to Hogwarts the last time we won the Cup. Mum was still at home, in retirement, and we didn't even know each other five years ago – so do you realized how long it has been since we won the Cup?"

"The last time we won the Cup, Nancy was only five years old – she hadn't even produced a single display of magic! My mother was starting to worry that Nan may be a Squib," Mary added in her soft voice.

"Hmm – I see what you mean," said Lily thoughtfully. "And Squib, seriously?" she added, turning to Mary, who rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah – Mum gets weird ideas sometimes."

"The last time we won the Cup, my brother and sister were both at Hogwarts," Marlene put in. "It was Allan who played as Seeker then – and his catch had won us the match!"

"Wow – really?" asked Lily, impressed. Marlene rolled her eyes and said, "Well – he's not the star Seeker of the Appleby Arrows by fluke, now, is he?"

"Besides – with Slytherin docked a hundred points as penalty, it's our biggest chance to win the Cup!" Mary exclaimed. "We're so close – it'll be heartbreaking if we lose tomorrow! Besides, it's Frank's final game – and he deserves to go out on a high!"

"It's Annie and Jeremy's final match, too," Liz reminded her. "Even Julie's – and they deserve to win the Cup in their final year as well!"

"My point exactly," said Mary. "If more than half of our team is passing out – they deserve this!"

Lily held up her hands. "All right, all right – I get the picture," she said irritably, and her friends laughed, satisfied.

A great deal of laughter echoed from across the common room at that moment; Fabian and Gideon seemed to be making jokes for the benefit of those closest to them. _It seems to be their way of dealing with the pressure_ , thought Lily.

"Checkmate!" yelled a voice from behind them, and they turned to see Potter raise his hands gleefully in celebration, as Remus stared at the board in dismay. "James seems to be doing fine with his chess therapy," said Liz, "That'll make sure he'll play a good game."

"Chess therapy?" asked Lily, confused. Marlene snorted and explained, "Before every Quidditch match, James plays one or two games of chess. He goes to bed only after making sure that he wins the last game he plays – says it calms him down and gives him extra confidence during the match."

"In that case, he probably shouldn't play with Peter now," said Lily dryly, and Liz rolled her eyes and said, "James is not stupid – he knows that Peter plays chess much better than he does."

As if he'd heard Liz, Potter turned to them. "Chess match, Evans?" he yelled. "I just wiped the floor with Remus, and Peter's refusing to play with me – so do you want to play? It's going to be my last game before I turn in, but Pete's being a pillock…"

"Come on – you threw the chess set into the fire when I beat you two nights ago, James!" protested Peter indignantly. "You're a sore loser – so I'm not playing with you, especially on the eve of tomorrow's final!"

"Yeah, and I don't have the patience to play," said Black dismissively. He stood up, looking bored. "I'd rather play Exploding Snap –"

"I don't mind playing with you, Potter – but only if you promise to not be a sore loser about it if I beat you," said Lily, cutting across Black. There was certainly no harm in playing with him, was there?

"Deal," he said, and quickly pulled up a chair and set up the chessboard. "I'll take white, shall I?" he added, and she nodded; she didn't mind either colour, considering that she was fairly confident that she was going to beat him anyway. "I'll start with – e4," he said, and his King's pawn moved forward by two squares. "Hmm – e5," Lily made her first move just as Liz, Remus and Peter pulled up more chairs to watch, and Black wandered away, muttering something about boring games.

Within an hour, it was obvious that Potter was at a disadvantage. He'd initiated a queen exchange rather daringly, but it had backfired when Lily had been able to set up a knight fork to take care of one of his castles. Next, her own castle was now on the seventh rank, slowly killing off Potter's pawns one by one. It was only a matter of time before she would win – both her bishops were still on the board; compared to them, he only had a knight, and two pawns less.

Lily studied Potter's face; it was screwed up in concentration. It struck her for the first time that he was looking rather vulnerable – clearly, he'd realized that he was going to lose. But if Potter lost now, it shouldn't affect his game the next day, would it?

Lily sighed inwardly. Who was she kidding? _Of course it's going to affect his game_ , she thought grimly. According to Liz, it was important for him to win the last game before sleeping, wasn't it? She knew what she had to do, but it went against everything she stood for… She had always played to win, regardless of opponent. She couldn't just throw the game, could she?

Then again, she knew how guilty she'd feel if she beat Potter, sending him into a frame of mind unfavourable for the next day's high-pressure match. It was glaringly obvious that Potter was vital for the team's chances the next day, and if he performed badly, they could even lose – denying a winning farewell to more than half the team – and it would all be her fault, wouldn't it?

There was only one thing that had to be done. Steeling herself, she said, "Castle takes g2 – check." Her castle let out a noise of protest before obeying her command; it dragged a faintly-protesting white pawn off the board before taking its place. "Really, Evans? That's a ridiculous move – you're sacrificing your castle for no reason at all!" said Potter, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

"Yeah, well – that's what you think, Potter – it's all part of a bigger plan, you'll see," she said with what she hoped was a cryptic voice. "If you say so," he said, before adding, "Castle takes g2!" She cringed slightly as her castle was smashed and dragged off the board; she was starting to regret her decision already. _It will be worth it_ , she told herself.

Fifteen minutes later, Potter let out a celebratory whoop. "Checkmate!" he yelled happily; he stood up, his hands raised in celebration.

She smiled and said, "Well played, Potter – I messed up with my castle, I counted too much on queening my pawn – and that's what probably led to my defeat!"

"Or – it could be that I'm _better_ than you at Wizard's Chess," he said mockingly, and stuck his tongue at her. She felt a twinge of irritation, but overlooked it; she summoned a mock-thoughtful expression on her face, and said sardonically, shaking her head, "Nah, that can't be it, it was definitely the bad move…"

"Well, good game nonetheless, Evans," he said, and held out his hand. She shook it and asked, "All set for tomorrow?"

"Definitely," he said, and the cocky grin was back. "We're going to win – I can feel it!"

"Well, good luck, Potter," she said, and he smiled his thanks. With a final wave to her and Liz, he walked towards the direction of the dormitories, with Remus and Peter in his wake. The former smiled at her sympathetically, but the latter looked at her with a rather accusatory glare; with a jolt, she realized that Peter knew that she'd thrown the game, and he wasn't happy about it. She just smiled at him reassuringly, and he followed his friends after shrugging and shaking his head.

"I'm surprised, Lil – how did you mess up after having an extra castle?" asked Liz from next to her. She shrugged, her eyes still on Potter as he walked up to the spiral staircase. "I guess mistakes happen," she said. "I just hope we win tomorrow," she added, and Liz nodded fervently. "Me, too," she said, and they began to walk towards their own dormitories, hoping to win the Quidditch Cup at last…

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"I can't believe this scoreline!" exclaimed Liz gleefully as they cheered yet another Gryffindor goal. Lily smiled from ear to ear and said, "Believe it, Liz – because we're really leading by a hundred-and-forty points, and it's been only about ten minutes since the game began!" It was true; it looked as though Gryffindor were playing their best game of the season, with the lopsided scoreboard reading a hundred-and-seventy to thirty in their favour.

"Potter scores – yet again, that's his eleventh goal of the game!" Dorcas Meadowes shouted, for once not her usual perky self; she was a lot more mournful today, for obvious reasons: it was her own House at the receiving end of the Gryffindor Chasers, who were in red-hot form. "At this rate, based on my calculations, Ravenclaw will have to cut down the Gryffindor lead to ninety points before catching the Snitch if they're to stand any chance of winning today, thanks to their own thumping win against Hufflepuff – looks difficult, doesn't it?"

"Blimey, difficult doesn't even begin to cover it," said Black, enthusiastically egging Frank on as he zoomed forward with the Quaffle. Five seconds later, they all cheered loudly as Frank scored, and Marlene responded, "Seconded, Black – I haven't seen us dominate like this before, it's unbelievable!"

"Yeah, I'll say," said Mary, whose cheeks were rosy with happiness. "This is amazing – I think this is the most fun I've ever had at a Quidditch match!"

"Thirteenth goal for Potter!" Dorcas yelled with forced enthusiasm. "The Gryffindor Chasers are too good for their counterparts – Longbottom finds Potter with acres of space ahead of him, and Potter makes no mistake with his shot – this is a record, this is, for the highest number of goals scored by a single player in a match at Hogwarts over the past decade – and Potter looks good for many more!"

"Wow, James is on fire!" said Liz in awe. "I've never seen him fly like that before – looks like he's still happy about beating you, Lily!"

Smiling, Lily said, "Yeah, I guess he is – though once this match is over, I'm going to challenge him for a rematch…"

"I figured you would," grinned Liz, just as Annie Shaw scored once again. Two Ravenclaw goals followed, giving the people in blue something to cheer about. "Two-hundred-and fifty to fifty!" Dorcas said with a little more perkiness, "Bell scores twice in quick succession in what has been a grossly one-sided match so far…"

"You see what Dumbledore did, docking a hundred points from Slytherin's point difference? If this match ends up with _any_ margin apart Ravenclaw beating us by fifty points, Slytherin stand no chance of winning the Cup – then too, it'll be a three-way penalty shootout. The man's a genius!" said Liz with awe, as if she'd just realized the ingenuity of their Headmaster's calculations.

"How does a penalty shootout work?" Lily asked curiously, but she was interrupted with a delighted scream from Mary. "Look at Julie!" her friend shouted, pointing to their Seeker, who had gone into a dive – but there was a blue-clad figure on her tail. "It doesn't really matter who catches the Snitch, right? We're loads of points up – we'd win the Cup either way!" Lily wondered aloud, but Liz shushed her and said, "It's Julie's last game – I'd rather she catches it!" She held her breath as the Gryffindor supporters egged on their Seeker, who dodged both Bludgers rather skilfully as she kept diving, until –

"Perkins has caught the Snitch – she's done it, Gryffindor win!" shouted Dorcas, and to her credit, she sounded rather appreciative.

"YES!" Black yelled, jumping up and down, while Remus and Peter exchanged double overhead claps. "We won! We won!" shrieked Marlene, as she, Lily, Liz and Mary jumped into what turned out to be a many-armed hug. They broke apart quickly and followed the rest of their House onto the pitch. Lily noticed Professor McGonagall sobbing tears of joy, while the Gryffindor team (who were themselves in a huddle) sank to earth, whooping loudly in celebration.

Congratulations and hugs followed, and Lily shook hands with the players who would pass out that year. _They deserve it more than anyone else_ , she thought happily. _I'm glad they won…_

"Evans," said a voice from behind her. It was Potter, an expression of utter delight on his face; he jumped straight into her arms and yelled, "We won, Evans! We won the Cup!"

"I noticed," she said dryly, extricating herself from him, blushing a little due to the enthusiasm with which he'd hugged her. "Congratulations, Potter – you deserve it, you were outstanding!"

"Means a lot, coming from you," he returned with a cocky grin. Then his expression changed to one of seriousness. "There's one more thing – so this was your 'bigger plan', was it? Throwing the Chess match yesterday and _apparently_ giving me enough confidence to play a brilliant game of Quidditch to help us win?"

Caught off-guard, she said with unconvincing airiness, "Er – I dunno what you mean, Potter – but now that you mention it, d'you want to have a rematch with me some time?"

"Nice try," he said promptly, "But you're a bad liar, Evans – everyone who knows you can tell you that." She blushed; she could feel her cheeks going redder. Around them, the rest of the Gryffindor supporters were congratulating the players, as Liz and Marlene celebrated alongside the Prewett twins. She looked at Potter and received an unpleasant surprise; there was a frown on his face, and he looked annoyed.

"You didn't have to do that," he said, his tone unnecessarily accusatory. "I don't need your help to play a good game, Evans – so, whatever your reasons for doing that, you shouldn't have. Did you think you'd deserve some credit for us winning today, just because you let me win my last game yesterday?"

"Now, wait – it's not like that…" she began to say; she hadn't expected her plan to backfire like this. She'd been sure that he would be grateful to her – wouldn't he?

"Save it – I don't want to hear it," he cut across her swiftly. "See you around," he added, the frown still on his face as he turned around and began to walk away. Within seconds, his gleeful smile was back as even more supporters greeted him with ecstasy.

Lily stood there, surprisingly calm. She wondered why she wasn't angrier with how Potter had spoken to her… She had thrown a chess game for his sake, something completely out of character for her, and he'd just rebuffed her efforts, telling her that he didn't need her help. So why wasn't she more upset?

The answer came to her easily enough. She'd known James Potter for three years – she had a measure of him, too. She was sure that his reaction was triggered by defensiveness, and his insistence that he didn't need her help was simply because he understood how much beating her had helped him that day, and for all his claims that he didn't need his 'chess therapy' anymore, it was clear as day that he did, for it benefited him.

 _Yeah, that's what it was_ , she thought. It was simply his ego that was preventing him from acknowledging it. Lily knew that she was right, she herself wasn't being arrogant – she'd seen hesitation in his eyes as he'd berated her, as though he didn't want to do it but had to for the sake of his ego and image. She shook her head and smiled. _What an immature berk_ , she thought. _Isn't it just easier to acknowledge someone's help than to act all high-and-mighty and rebuff their efforts?_

Shaking her head (and surprising even herself with her own maturity), she followed the rest of the Gryffindors as they made their way to the common room, obviously for a party. _It would be the final party before the exams_ , she thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach as she remembered the pile of revision that awaited her…

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"I almost wish that full moon wasn't tonight," said Lily as she reluctantly opened her Herbology notes on Friday evening after dinner. Liz grimaced. "Well, I think that apprehending this creep takes precedence over exams," she said firmly, and Lily nodded. "As much as I'd like to disagree – exams are pretty important – but so is this."

"Keep your voice down," urged Liz with a sideways glance at Madam Pince, who was glaring at them. Lily sighed; the library wasn't always the best place to enjoy a chat. She reflected upon the past few days: just as she'd thought, Potter had apologized to her the very next day, acknowledging her role in the victory to the whole common room (that was more than what she'd bargained for), resulting in her getting queen-like treatment for a few days, though she had to make peace with Peter by offering to play a chess game every weekend with him for the entire next year (a suggestion that had made his day and simply evaporated his anger with her).

As for that night, they'd all decided to wander around after hours like the last time, trying to catch the attacker in the act; though they weren't sure of the partner. Black and Marlene were sure that it was Madam Whitney, but the rest weren't; they had decided to wait and watch the Matron carefully till she could be eliminated as a suspect.

"So, anyway – here's something funny," said Liz, and Lily leaned in close. "Jane told me that two Slytherin Prefects – that Marcus bloke and our _friend,_ Narcissa – got into a little face-off this morning. Apparently, Marcus is really good at magic – he called her a hag and Transfigured her face to resemble one. Everyone laughed like mad, it was so funny – especially when Narcissa ran away to the Hospital Wing and stayed there for the rest of the day," Liz concluded, a gleeful smirk on her own face. Lily giggled silently and said, "Serves her right – she _is_ a hag! Anyway, why did Marcus jinx her? She must've provoked him – doesn't seem right that he jinxed her for no reason!"

"Well – Jane did say that someone told her Narcissa insulted Marcus – big surprise, considering he's not a pureblood, as you yourself told me," whispered Liz. "Apparently, she asked him if he cleaned chamber pots by licking them, since he couldn't find anyone whose shoes he was fit to lick… Well, if you ask me, that warrants whatever spell he used…"

But Lily wasn't listening any more. Something seemed off… Why would Narcissa insult Marcus so rudely? As far as she knew, the phrase 'lick my shoes' was a favourite among purebloods to use against Muggleborns. But Marcus was a half-blood, wasn't he, unless –

She suddenly sat up, her eyes bright. A memory had been triggered – last year, Severus had told her that there were currently only two Muggleborn students in Slytherin. One of them was a sixth-year then – so he had to be a seventh-year now… She remembered something else – when she and Liz had duelled McMahon and Selwyn earlier that year, Narcissa had arrived – she'd insulted Marcus, but hadn't done so to Severus – it didn't make sense – unless she was right.

 _Marcus is Muggleborn_ , she thought. He'd lied to her the first time he'd met her, then… Had he done that to protect himself? But why would he have to protect himself from her, when the most prejudiced people in the school knew that he was a Muggleborn? He even went around talking about how blood purity was stupid… So if he was a Muggleborn, didn't he fear for his safety? He had to be a very skilled wizard if he had to constantly be on the lookout for a possible attack on him. Well, he was definitely good at magic – the complex spell on Narcissa Malfoy was evidence of that.

But if his parentage was no secret, he'd be in danger from Voldemort after he passed out. She tried to think from his point of view; his main mission would be self-preservation, wouldn't it? He'd do anything to protect himself… But like what?

A wild thought occurred to her. Was he attacking fellow Muggleborns and escape detection – as part of a mission to prove his worth to Voldemort, so that he'd be spared – or even inducted as his supporter? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Marcus certainly had enough guile to pull something like this off; she wasn't sure if any of the other seventh-year Slytherins were capable of it – they were mostly all talk and no brains, Severus had told her. But would a Muggleborn attack fellow Muggleborns? Well, if it were a question of his own survival, of course he would…

She sighed as she remembered another of Sherlock Holmes's famous quotes. _Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._ Nothing else made sense… It had to be Marcus. The motive was obvious – his own survival. For all she knew, Voldemort had probably even threatened to wipe out his entire family if he didn't comply to his demands – or maybe Marcus had made some sort of deal with him that guaranteed his parents' safety in exchange for committing heinous acts. She felt a twinge of sympathy towards him, but it was limited. She was sure that if she were presented with the same choice, she wouldn't have attacked innocent students…

"Hello – Lily, earth to Lily," came Liz's voice, breaking into her thoughts. She quickly focused on her best friend, who was staring at her with her eyebrows slightly raised. "OK – I know that look," said Liz, "You've just realized something, haven't you? Well – out with it!"

But before she could begin to explain her reasoning to her friend, Peter Pettigrew came up to their table, panting heavily. "What's happened, Peter?" said Liz at once. Peter waited for a few seconds to catch his breath before pulling up a chair and sitting down rather heavily. "James just sent me to tell you –" he panted, "—that Madam Whitney – Fabian saw her sneaking off through the passage behind Gregory the Smarmy's portrait. He and Sirius and Marlene were going to keep a watch on Madam Whitney till midnight, remember?"

"Yes, go on – so where are they?" prompted Lily quickly.

"They followed her. Fab sent Gid a message – I dunno how, but they're going to follow Madam Whitney into Hogsmeade, and see where she goes. So until they get back, it's up to us to look around – to see if the attacker attacks again." Peter looked petrified at the very thought.

"Yes – assuming that Madam Whitney is the accomplice, and not the attacker herself," said Liz firmly. "We should get going, then – c'mon, it's nearly eight, it'll be curfew soon."

"James said that we're all going to meet in the common room," said Peter as Liz and Lily began to pack up their books. "Then we'll separate out into groups – same as the last time – before we go about trying to – to find the attacker," he stammered.

"Don't worry, Peter – you'll be with Gid, and he knows his stuff," said Lily reassuringly as they walked briskly in the direction of the common room. She felt a strong rush of adrenaline… _Here we go again_ , she thought…

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"This is boring," grumbled Potter as they walked slowly along the fourth floor, hidden under Potter's Invisibility Cloak. The eclairs that Potter had brought from the kitchens and shared with them were long gone; night had fallen some time ago, and the sky outside was now pitch-black. The moon was bright in the night sky, and Lily remembered with a rush of pity that Remus would now be under the Whomping Willow, in his transformed state.

"Come on, James – it's only been an hour," Liz whispered back.

"It's been an hour and nothing's happened yet! I'm starting to think that the attacker's lost their nerve – after all, we nearly got caught spying on him the last time, but since we didn't _actually_ get caught, he knows we're on to him, and he's lying low –"

He certainly had a point. "You could be right," said Lily thoughtfully, "We didn't consider that possibility –"

"Or, you could both be wrong," said Liz calmly, and they looked at her inquiringly. "Look ahead of you," she said, still in the same voice of forced calm. They followed her gaze; to her shock, Lily saw a hooded figure standing with its wand raised, in front of two students cowering against the wall behind them. There was a flash of red light, and the two students crumpled against the wall, unconscious – clearly, they'd been Stunned.

She froze; she hadn't expected to come across the attacker so soon; let alone stumble upon him actually doing the deed. What were they going to do now? They hadn't really discussed this part… Another unwelcome realization hit her. They had no way of getting a message to Gideon – fighting her panic, she quickly whipped out her wand. Beside her, her companions already had their wands out.

"Stop!" Potter shouted, and made to get out from under the Cloak, but Liz and Lily grabbed him by the arms and prevented him from doing so; luckily, they remained invisible, for the attacker went rigid, as though uncertain of what to do, and looked right through them.

A sudden inspiration hit her – now was the time to test her theory, wasn't it? Taking a deep breath, she yelled, "We know it's you, Marcus!"

Even from twenty feet away, she could tell that the figure was standing frozen with shock. Her presumption was confirmed when the attacker shot a jet of blue light in their general direction, but it missed them by a few feet. Apparently, the attacker had had enough, for he raised his wand; the next moment, black smoke billowed from it. She caught a glimpse of the figure as it turned a heel and ran.

" _Ventus!_ " Potter shouted, and the air current from his wand simply blew the smoke away in time for them to see the attacker turn a corner. "Come on!" he yelled, before shaking off the Invisibility Cloak and running after the goon, with her and Liz in hot pursuit.

 _So it_ is _Marcus_ , she thought as she ran. She felt a small twinge of sadness; she'd liked the handsome seventh-year prefect, though they'd met only once or twice, and she was sorry to learn that he was involved. She and Liz ran on at full speed; Potter, with his Quidditch training, was extremely fit as a result, and it was all she could do to keep up while her muscles screamed with protest.

They ran down a few flights of steps, dodging a Curse sent by Marcus every now and then. They neared the Entrance Hall gates; with a wave of his wand, Marcus blew them open, and ran out into the grounds. They followed him outside. It was a warm summer night, and the full moon shone brightly, illuminating their black-clad quarry. Marcus seemed to be making his way to the Forbidden Forest… Cursing inwardly, she put on an extra burst of speed; she was lagging behind Potter and Liz.

Up ahead, just at the edge of the forest, Potter suddenly fell to the ground. Hoping that he hadn't been felled by one of Marcus's spells, she and Liz caught up to him just as he sat up. "I twisted my ankle!" he exclaimed angrily, "Stupid foot – go on, I'll catch up!"

Without a word, they nodded and ran past him, still in hot pursuit. " _Lumos!_ " Lily panted, and used the light from her wand-tip to guide her and keep Marcus in sight; next to her, Liz did the same, though she pointed her wand upwards and held it like a flaming torch. "This way, James can see us better!" she said, and Lily nodded in understanding.

She didn't know where she was going… It was difficult to make out the path, and she had a feeling that she was lost – next to her, to her admiration, Liz was running at the same pace as before, though she was starting to exhibit signs of tiredness. Miraculously, Marcus was still in their sight, and it wasn't too long before Potter caught up with them. "Nice guiding light, Hunt!" he yelled, and Liz smiled at him. "Now come on – let's catch this creep!"

Lily could see a clearing up ahead, bathed in the clear moonlight; Marcus was running straight towards it. _There's something odd here_ , thought Lily as she hurried forward, with her lungs bursting in protest. Marcus was taller, older, fitter – so how was he unable to outrun three third-years? He should've been able to give them the slip a long time ago – unless –

With a dreadful blast of realization, she skidded to a stop just behind Liz and Potter, just at the edge of the clearing. "It's a trap!" she panted, "He guided us here!" As if to confirm her hypothesis, Marcus was standing right ahead of them, his wand raised, and his hood lowered. "You should've stayed out of it," he said mournfully, his voice cold and harsh. " _Stupefy!_ "

"Dive aside!" Potter yelled, and Lily obeyed; but Liz was a split second late to react, and crumpled to the ground as the Stunning Spell hit her. "No – Liz!" yelled Lily in dismay. " _Labocrus!_ " Potter yelled, but Marcus dodged the Jelly-Legs Jinx. "You'll have to do better than that!" he yelled, and there was a flash of light; the next minute, Potter was flying through the air – he hit a tree trunk, and sunk to the ground, winded.

"No!" shouted Lily, filled with a sudden rage – how dare he! " _Furnunculus!_ " she yelled, but Marcus quickly conjured a Shield Charm, and the Curse rebounded on her; she ducked as the jet of light flew over her head. "You're feisty," Marcus said mockingly, "I like that, Lily Evans – but it's useless if you're a Muggleborn – you and I, we're the same. If we don't join the right side – we'll die!"

"I'm nothing like you!" Lily screamed furiously. "I'll never harm innocent people!"

"You don't understand," Marcus shouted back, a little sorrowfully, "If I hadn't done it, I'd have _died_!"

"You're a coward, then!" admonished Lily. " _Expelliarmus!_ " she shouted, but Marcus blocked it; his face contorted with fury, he yelled, " _Confractus!_ "

She tried to jump aside but knew that she would be too late; the spell was going to hit her – but at the last minute, a jet of red light met Marcus's curse at right angles, and deflected it. She looked to her right, unharmed, as she saw Potter with his wand pointed in her direction; he'd clearly saved her from getting hit by what was presumably a Dark Curse…

"I've got your back, Evans!" he yelled, though his voice sounded a little weak.

"Heads up!" she shouted back; hoping against hope that he'd understand what she meant, she pointed her wand at Marcus and screamed, " _Lumos Intensum!_ " The familiar flash of bright light illuminated her surroundings; when it had cleared, however, she saw Marcus dancing on the spot with his face contorted and his eyes closed tight. He fired a volley of curses in her direction, but owing to his temporary blindness, he was off target, though she narrowly dodged a couple of yellow jets. "Finish him off, Potter!" she screamed, and he needed no more invitation.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " he yelled, and his aim was perfect; Marcus crumpled to the ground, rigid and still. "Stupefy!" screamed Lily, Stunning Marcus for good measure. She stood still for a moment before turning around and running towards Potter, who had sunk to his knees. "Potter!" she said urgently, "Potter – you all right?"

Potter's face was twisted in pain; and yet, he managed a grimace. "My back hurts," he said softly, "I got hit by that trunk pretty badly…"

"We need to get help," she said firmly. "Can you stand up? We need to go back to the castle…" But she saw that it would be an uphill task… Liz was unconscious, and Potter was injured – she decided to do the most logical thing in that case. She raised her wand skywards and shot a wave of red sparks.

"There was no need of that," Potter said weakly, trying and failing to get up; he sat down on the ground instead and continued, "I got a message to Sirius – help is on the way –"

"How –?"

But even as she asked the question, she was distracted by the sound of footsteps rustling over dead leaves – someone was coming. She looked down the path to see a figure with a familiar gait make their way towards them, and a wave of relief washed over her – _they were saved_.

"We're here, we've caught the attacker!" she yelled, waving her hands vigorously. The newcomer came and stood in front of her – and to her shock, pointed their wand right at Lily while lowering their hood; their face remained in shadow. Cold with dread, Lily noted how brightly the woman's blonde hair shone in the moonlight – and that was when she finally made the connection. The mystery that had haunted her for months – she'd suspected so many different people due to so many different things – but in reality, the answer had been right under her very nose all along. The magnitude of her deduction made her feel weak. Beside her, Potter too seemed to be frozen with shock, for he was still on his knees.

"The golden crown!" she managed to whisper softly. "It was you!"

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 **Author's note:**

And there it is… The big reveal! Did you guess it? The next chapter will be up soon… Thanks for reading and following!


	31. Chapter 30

Thanks for the reviews, fons19 and HARDINMAN. Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty, the final chapter in Lily's third year. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty**

 **Dénouement**

"No way!" Potter said weakly. " _Professor Walcott_ – what in the –?" He tried to stand up, but couldn't; he remained in a kneeling position, using his hands to support his body weight.

Lily's mind was in too much shock to utter another word. She watched numbly as their DADA professor limped towards them, her wand still pointed in their direction. She stopped momentarily next to Liz's unconscious form; satisfying herself that the girl had simply been Stunned, she continued to limp in their direction before finally coming to a stop about five feet in front of them; up close, Lily saw that she was wearing black robes and a red and gold Gryffindor scarf was draped loosely around her neck.

Professor Walcott surveyed them before looking directly into Lily's eyes. "You should've stayed out of this," she said, and there was sorrow in her voice. "Why did you interfere?"

Lily found her voice at last. "How – how could you be helping…" Suddenly, she was filled with red-hot rage. "HOW COULD YOU BE HELPING TO ATTACK INNOCENT MUGGLE-BORNS?" she yelled, surprising even herself – but she was livid. The woman she'd idolized – shared her deepest fears with – the teacher she'd come to regard as more of an aunt-like figure, a mentor, even – she had turned out to be someone completely different. How could she have been so horribly wrong about Professor Walcott?

"Silence," said Professor Walcott calmly, and Lily lost her voice; she supposed that she'd been hit by a Silencing Charm. A wild impulse to attack Professor Walcott hand-to-hand gripped her; but before she could act on it, she was immediately immobilized. "Don't even think about it, Lily," the professor said quietly. "I know that you're bursting with questions – but you need to calm yourself down first if we're to have a rational discussion."

 _Why was Potter quiet?_ she thought angrily, but then it hit her – perhaps he too had been Silenced. As if reading her mind, Professor Walcott addressed Potter, "Where does it hurt, James?" Potter must have pointed to his back, for a second later he too stood up, but before he could say or do anything, he was immobilized; apparently, Professor Walcott had healed him – but why? What was going on?

Professor Walcott looked skywards and waved her wand; Lily's heart sank to her stomach as the red sparks vanished. They'd been there for what, two minutes? It was too much to hope for someone having seen them…

She didn't know what Professor Walcott was going to do with them. Would she kill them to keep them silent? Her gut told her that if she kept Professor Walcott engaged for long enough, someone may come looking for them… Someone may have seen the sparks… There was only one thing left to do. She had to buy some time…

She took in a deep, steadying breath and looked directly into Professor Walcott's eyes, trying to indicate that she was ready to talk.

Professor Walcott waved her wand, and Lily suddenly regained locomotion and speech, as did Potter. He stood next to her with his wand raised, but Professor Walcott simply waved her own, and in a trice, both their wands were in the teacher's possession. Now completely defenceless, Lily realized that there were tears in her eyes. "Why – why did you do it?" she asked the teacher she'd loved and idolized.

Professor Walcott sighed. "What have I told you, Lily? The world is grey – it's not black and white; it's not that simple. Right and wrong – these are relative terms. What's right according to you may not be right according to someone else – which is why, you need to understand that everyone has their own reasons to do what they do," she said, her voice impassive and her face stoic.

"But _why_?" questioned Lily again. "You were the one who taught me to do the right thing, to not let things affect me beyond a certain extent – you made me a stronger person! This – this doesn't make sense!"

Professor Walcott sighed again. "Do you remember what I told you about my son, Lily?" she asked quietly, and Lily nodded solemnly.

"I lied," said Professor Walcott simply. "He's alive."

Shock gripped Lily once again. She couldn't believe her ears… She quickly focused on the teacher, who was speaking again.

"That's right, Lily," said Professor Walcott, her voice shaking slightly, though her wand hand remained steady. "My poor, innocent baby boy is alive… But he – he's in custody of the Dark Lord's supporters."

All of a sudden, things started to make sense. If Professor Walcott's son was being held hostage, it explained why she was doing the Death Eaters' bidding – she was being blackmailed, wasn't she?

Professor Walcott continued, "When I was in their custody, they took little Nick and threatened to hurt him if I didn't do their bidding. I had no choice… I resisted as much as I could, but there was nothing I could do… They didn't just torture me – they did unspeakable things to me, so much so that I lost count of how many times I wished I were dead…"

"But how could you help _attack_ innocent students?" said Potter, and to his credit, his voice was steady. He'd clearly cottoned on to the fact that the longer they spoke, the more time they bought…

"It was a mission," said the teacher heavily, "To mentor a Muggle-born seventh-year whilst he attacked other students as a test to prove himself worthy of joining the Dark Lord. Even he –" she indicated Marcus, who was still under the Body-Bind Curse – "didn't know the identity of his supervisor. He's a talented boy, and it's a shame that he was forced to do such things – but if he hadn't, he would have most certainly been in danger of being killed, all because of his blood status."

"But – he used Dark Magic!" exclaimed Lily. "People could've died – everyone was lucky to have been found in time, or else the curse would've been fatal!"

Professor Walcott turned to her. "D'you think I'd have let that happen? His mission was to attack these children and leave them to their fate – but I kept tabs on him. The moment he left after each attack, I'd step up… I'd put a counter-curse on every student which would stop the worst of the Blood-Clotting Curse. That way, no one would die… But remember, I had to do all this without setting off any alarm bells, or else poor Nick would have suffered…"

For the first time that night, Lily thought she saw tears glistening in her DADA teacher's eyes. In spite of herself, in spite of the predicament she was in, she felt a little stab of sympathy for Professor Walcott… All the terrible things she'd done – she'd done them to keep her son alive. Her two-year-old son… She marvelled at the lengths a mother would go to for her child. _A mother's love has no equal_ , she thought…

"Were you under the Disillusionment Charm every time you met with Marcus?" Potter asked.

"That's right," said the Professor. "I always took my precautions to move around undetected… And let me ask you this. Were you the ones spying on us, the night when the previous attack occurred?"

"Yes, that was us," said Potter, "And you tried to detect us, didn't you? Only you couldn't find us…" There was a distinct note of pride in his voice.

"Yes – I knew there was someone there, though I couldn't find them. That is why I changed our regular meeting place to this clearing here… What did you use, an Invisibility Cloak?"

Potter nodded tersely, his eyes never leaving Professor Walcott's face.

"But why didn't you go to Dumbledore?" Lily burst out. "He could've helped!"

"What, and risk losing Nick? _Don't you understand, Lily_?" Professor Walcott said incredulously. "I couldn't do anything – _anything_ , that could compromise the safety of my son. He's all I have left… So I did what I had to do."

There was a pause, where Lily and Potter just stared at their Professor. Lily could understand the teacher's motivation for doing these unforgivable things, but in her mind, it still didn't justify what she'd done… _Nothing justifies attacking innocent people_ , she thought angrily.

"So what're you going to do with us?" she asked softly. "Are you going to kill us?"

Professor Walcott looked surprised. "Kill you? Why would I kill you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Er – you weren't exactly sympathetic to innocent people, Professor," said Potter, his tone harsh. "So I think Evans makes a pretty valid point. But if you're going to kill us, do us a favour and make it quick. I won't beg, and I don't think Evans will, either."

She gasped; she couldn't help it. She didn't want to die like this… She had her entire life ahead of her, she couldn't fathom the idea of dying tonight, deep into the Forbidden Forest, wandless and defenceless… Potter gripped her hand rather tightly, and she didn't draw away. There had to be some way out of this…

"I'm not going to kill you," said Professor Walcott, her voice unemotional once again. "Modifying your memories would suffice… You will forget everything we discussed, even the fact that you caught Marcus here. I'll modify his memory as well, even if you've Stunned him, one can't be too careful… That way, my mission remains in place, and my son will remain safe…"

She raised her wand, but suddenly hesitated. Lily could see that her mask was beginning to crumble. She took a deep breath and said firmly, "You two – are bright and talented students, and I genuinely enjoyed teaching you. I will never forget what you did for me, Lily… Your company was one of the few things that kept me going. I must now ask you to do something else, something very important…"

Her voice became stronger, harsher even. "In a few years, the burden of defeating and destroying Voldemort will fall upon the shoulders of you and your peers. _Listen to me, carefully_. You _must_ stop him… He has ruined too many lives. He's ruined mine, too… Don't let him destroy any more. Promise me that you will join the fight against him when you're old enough. You must – for the sake of the Wizarding World, you must…" Her doe-soft brown eyes met Lily's emerald green ones. "Do you promise?" she whispered.

"Yes," Lily said softly. It seemed important to the Professor that she promised thus. Next to her, Potter said, "Yes – we promise."

A ghost of a smile came on Professor Walcott's face; for a moment, she was the wonderful teacher once again. "Thank you…" Her expression returned to being impassive. "I'm sorry about this," she said. "You will forget the events of this night, except the promise you just made, of course. Rest assured that you will suffer no long-term consequences; I'm quite adept at using the Memory Charm. I wish there had been another way…"

She raised her wand and Lily braced herself for the spell that was to come. "No!" shouted Potter, his grip on her hand tighter than ever –

" _Stupefy!_ " someone yelled, and there was a blinding flash of red. In front of her, Professor Walcott crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Shocked, Lily looked in the direction of the Stunner – and to her enormous relief, saw Professor McGonagall moving swiftly towards them. "Professor!" shouted Potter just as the Transfiguration teacher came to a stop in front of them. Her nostrils were flaring, and her expression was livid.

"What in the world were you thinking?" she raged. "You could've been killed or seriously injured – don't you have any sense at all?"

"We caught the bloke attacking Muggleborns, Professor," said Potter earnestly, pointing at the still-rigid form of Marcus Arnold. "We subdued him – Body-Bind Curse and a Stunner for good measure – but then Professor Walcott came and tried to wipe our memories – she was helping him with the attacks –"

"It wasn't exactly like that," said Lily quickly. "We'll explain in a bit, Professor – but I think we should go to Professor Dumbledore –"

"Enough," Professor McGonagall cut across her firmly. "You're out of bounds – as is Miss Huntington there – I'll revive her and take these two to Professor Dumbledore, and you three to the Hospital Wing. We'll deal with you later –"

"Please, Professor – when you do ask them questions, please do it such that Marcus doesn't know that it was Professor Walcott who was helping him. That's important – please, Professor," pleaded Lily. Professor McGonagall surveyed her suspiciously before saying, "Very well, Miss Evans – I'll keep that in mind. Now, let's go to the Hospital Wing. Madam Whitney will give you something – Chocolate or Pepper-up Potion, we'll see about that… Now, come on," she added, and Lily and Potter obediently began to follow her. Professor McGonagall bound Professor Walcott and Marcus in thin, snakelike ropes, before reviving Liz.

"What happened?" Liz asked immediately, "Did you –?" Her eyes travelled to Professor Walcott immediately, and her face registered blank shock. "Professor Walcott?" she exclaimed, but before she could say anything more, Professor McGonagall said firmly, "Miss Huntington – you can ask your questions later. Potter and Miss Evans will help you if you're feeling a little giddy…"

Wordlessly, Liz nodded and fell into step beside her. "You OK?" Lily asked her softly, and she nodded. "My head's aching a little, but I'm fine – why is it that I get Stunned all the time and miss the good parts?"

Lily laughed and said dryly, "Bad timing?" Potter snickered, and Liz rolled her eyes. They walked behind Professor McGonagall and the two people she was Levitating, making for a curious procession indeed as they walked back into the castle – until they came to the Hospital Wing, where Professor McGonagall ushered them in and said, "Madam Whitney will take care of you now – I believe you'll have some company, I told them to wait here while I fetched you…"

Nonplussed, she walked into the Hospital Wing and smiled from ear to ear; it was the rest of the party. She could see Fab, Gid, Peter, Mary, Black and Marlene all sitting in chairs and talking very seriously with each other, looking anxious. "You're all OK!" Marlene shouted as soon as she spotted them, and a round of relieved hugs followed. Madam Whitney came out of her office, and forced the three of them into bed before giving them steaming mugs of hot chocolate. After giving them a thorough check-up, she declared that they were fit enough to sit in chairs, and conjured a few for their benefit. She bade them to wait there until Professor McGonagall arrived to fetch them, before going to her office.

"So what happened? We've been dying to hear it!" Fabian said anxiously. The others looked at the three of them inquiringly, and Lily took in a deep breath before beginning to narrate the story. She talked about how they'd stumbled across Marcus attacking two students, how she'd called out his name, how he'd panicked and scarpered… She went on about chasing him, how they'd followed him deep into the forest, how they'd duelled him (at that point, Liz began to listen with rapt attention since she too had missed that part) before managing to subdue him… How Professor Walcott had arrived, and how her relief had changed to absolute shock when she'd figured out that Marcus's accomplice was none other than their DADA professor. The little company was profoundly jolted by this particular revelation.

At this point, Lily hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should tell everyone else what Professor Walcott had said – especially about her son. What if the news somehow found its way to the wrong people? _I can't control the flow of information once it escapes me_ , she thought firmly. She instead skipped over to the part where Professor Walcott had tried to modify their memories (other than a look of surprise in her direction, Potter made no comment), and the timely arrival of Professor McGonagall to save their skins.

"But there's one thing I don't understand," she said, coming to the end of her long narrative, "How did Professor McGonagall know where to find us?"

"I'll explain that," said Potter, "But before that, can you tell us what you found out in Hogsmeade? You did –" he lowered his voice, "—follow Madam Whitney, right? Well, now we know she hasn't got anything to do with the attacks – but the way she kept going to Hogsmeade is still fishy, isn't it?"

"How 'bout you explain this, young Sirius?" said Fabian, with a grin. He then turned to Lily and said, "I noticed that you didn't say if Professor Walcott said anything about why she helped this git Marcus – so I want to hear that after Sirius here talks about what we'd been up to." Lily nodded tersely, not at all comfortable about this. I have to consult with Professor Dumbledore first, she thought.

"All right," said Black, "So, we came out onto Main Street…"

XXXXX Sirius's POV XXXXX

"Walk faster, McKinnon – we need to keep her in sight!" said Sirius urgently as he hurried behind Fabian, with Marlene lagging a little behind him. The brunette scowled and said irritably, "She's right ahead of us, Black – we couldn't lose her if we tried!"

"It's quite dark, so we may just lose her if you don't drag your fifty-pound feet across the ground!" he admonished, and immediately got a smack in the head from her.

"Shut up – you're just too impatient!" she snapped back as they walked forward briskly.

"You're too unfit!" he said heatedly. "How're you going to try out next year if you can't keep up?"

"Last I checked, you don't need to run in Quidditch, Black!" she retorted. He was just about to respond when Fabian said from ahead of them, "Shut up, you two! We're Disillusioned but not inaudible!"

"He started it!" exclaimed Marlene. He snorted and said, "Wow, you're such a drama queen, McKinnon –"

"Enough," said Fabian firmly, and both of them went silent. "You're fourteen, not four – for goodness's sake, act your age!"

"Look – she seems to be entering that pub," said Marlene, pointing. He followed her gaze just in time to see Madam Whitney enter a pub to their right. "That's the Hog's Head," supplied Fabian, "It's the kind of place where shady deals take place – smuggling, trafficking and the like – definitely dodgy."

"Makes perfect sense that Madam Whitney is meeting her accomplice here in the Hog's Head, then," Sirius said. Fabian nodded, but Marlene looked unconvinced. "But if her accomplice is a student, why come all the way here to meet him?" she asked. "Why not meet at some secret place in school itself?"

"This is safer, McKinnon – use your head!" he snapped, and she looked a little hurt. "Watch the tone, Black – or else I'll jinx you," she said angrily.

"I'd like to see you try," he said smugly. Really, did she think she had a chance against him?

"Shut up, you two – and focus," said Fabian irritably. "Concentrate – what do we do now? Do we go after her?"

"Well, you're of age, Fab," Sirius said, shrugging. "I don't think there will be a problem –"

Just then, his pocket began to vibrate. "Sirius Black!" came a tiny voice, and he could see his companions' bewildered looks as he took the mirror out of his pocket. "What is it, James?" he spoke as he looked into the mirror. James's excited face came into view.

"It's Marcus Arnold, mate! That big Slytherin Prefect – the one who Jinxed Narcissa – _he's_ the one behind the attacks!" James exclaimed, panting – it was obvious that he'd been running.

Sirius was confused. "But – that doesn't mean Madam Whitney can't be his accomplice, right?" he said thoughtfully. James snorted. "No, you prat! You three should find out what she's up to – but get Fab to contact Gid and send McGonagall or someone our way! We're chasing Marcus, and he's going into the Forest!"

Sirius immediately understood that now wasn't the time for questions. "Understood, Captain. Good luck! Over and out!" he said, and James gave him the thumbs-up before vanishing from view. He tucked the mirror back into his pocket before looking up to find Marlene and Fabian staring at him with identical expressions of mingled surprise and befuddlement.

"What – how did he – what?" asked Marlene finally, and he rolled his eyes. "You can't even articulate a sentence –" he began, but Fab interrupted him and said, "What was that all about, Sirius?"

"Er – this is a twin mirror – James has the other one of the set, see? We use it to communicate when we're in separate detention – but that's not the point," he said quickly. "So, Fab – can you tell Gid to go to –"

"I heard him too, you know," said Fabian dryly. He raised his wand, and a big silver possum shot out of it, travelling away from them before disappearing from view. "Was that a Patronus Message, Fab?" asked Marlene, and Sirius snorted and said, "No, McKinnon – it was a barn owl!" He received another smack on the head as a result, but before he could say or do anything more, Fabian snapped, "If you two don't stay quiet, I'll put Silencing Charms over you!" They went quiet at once, and glued their eyes to the entrance of the Hog's Head.

There was no one on the street as the minutes slowly went by. Pretty soon, Sirius was bored, but he couldn't annoy Marlene just to pass the time – not now, not when they were on a mission. Just as he was about to comment that they might as well enter the pub and order a Butterbeer at least, a sleek, silver possum came to a halt in front of them and spoke in Gideon Prewett's voice, "McGonagall's told you three to meet us at the Hospital Wing, pronto. Leave Madam Whitney be." They stood silently as the possum vanished into thin air.

"You and Gideon have the same Patronus?" Marlene asked Fabian curiously, and Sirius snorted. "Yeah, that's relevant here, isn't it?" he said dismissively, and Marlene glared at him. Ignoring her, he turned to Fabian and said, "What could that be all about, Fab? Why the Hospital Wing?" He felt a sinking feeling into the pit of his stomach. _I hope they're all right_ , he thought. _I hope James is OK…_

It was Marlene who answered his question. "This means that someone may have gotten hurt! Oh, no – Lily, Liz and James – they're in danger – we should help them!"

"We could go directly into the forest!" Sirius suggested, a little recklessly. "It'll be faster than going back through the passage –"

"No," said Fabian firmly.

"They're our _friends_!" Sirius said indignantly, while Marlene looked annoyed as well. Didn't he understand? What if the attacker cursed James and the others, and left them to die?

Fabian took in a deep breath and said calmly, "Look, I want to help them as much as you do – but we don't know where to look, and McGonagall's probably even found them by now! It makes more sense for us to do as we're told – and not be the reason for another rescue mission!"

As much as Sirius disagreed with the older boy, he had to admit that Fabian Prewett was right. It would be stupid for them to go to the defence of their friends, if they were going to risk losing themselves in the process. Plus, Professor McGonagall would be a much better rescuer than them.

"All right, then," he addressed Fabian, "Let's go back…"

The walk back to the castle was brisk and uneventful. They speculated about what Professor McGonagall knew about Madam Whitney that would make her inexorably innocent, especially if she thought that their presence at the Hospital Wing would be more productive than spying on the Matron… But while he maintained a calm façade on the outside, he was very worried for the safety of two of his best friends, and a girl he was starting to warm up to, inch by inch though it may be.

"We're here," whispered Fabian as they re-entered the fifth-floor corridor through the portrait of Gregory the Smarmy. "Let's go…" Silently, the made their way towards the Hospital Wing; on entering it, however, they found Gideon, Mary and Peter, all sitting in chairs around an empty bed. The place seemed to be deserted; for once, there seemed to be no one who needed treatment.

"Fab!" Gideon exclaimed in relief as soon as he saw them. They all pulled a few more chairs and sat in a circle; as soon as they were seated, Marlene burst out, "What happened? Where are Lily and Liz and James?"

"We don't know, Mar," said Mary seriously, looking upset. "All we know is that we were wandering around, trying to find anything out of the ordinary – when Fabian's Patronus came and said, ' _Attacker found, James and others in pursuit, send McGonagall to Forest._ ' We quickly figured out that Lily's group were chasing the creep into the Forbidden Forest, and that Professor McGonagall needed to be told of this, so we went straight to her office. It's good that Gid remembered just in time that the teachers have living quarters right next to their office, or we'd have spent ages looking for her…"

"She wasn't half angry to see us, banging on her door at nearly midnight," said Peter, shuddering a little at the memory. _Typical Peter_ , thought Sirius, a little disdainfully. _Scared of everything…_ He resolved that by the time they passed out of school, they would turn him into strong, confident and brave bloke. Peter continued, "But she heard us out – then she told us to call you three to the Hospital Wing, where we too must go and wait. She said she'd deal with us all later." He gulped.

"Well, I guess there's nothing else we can do now, but wait," said Fabian, and the others nodded. _I hope they're OK_ , thought Sirius, a little fretfully. _I hope they're OK…_

XXXXX End of Sirius's POV XXXXX

"And that was that," concluded Black, "We waited – after about ten minutes, Madam Whitney showed up and asked us if McGonagall had arrived – clearly, McGonagall must have let her know, too – then she gave us some chocolate and told us to wait before going into her office."

"Wow, you did have your share of adventure," said Liz, once Black had finished his tale. She turned to Potter and said, "You never injured your ankle, did you? You were calling them!"

"And that's why you said there was no need of the red sparks!" said Lily, in understanding. Potter grinned and said, "Yep – I knew that McGonagall would find us once she knew we were in the forest –"

"What I want to know," interrupted Liz, "Is why Professor McGonagall thinks Madam Whitney is innocent."

"Yeah – but before that, can you tell us why Professor Walcott was helping Marcus?" Fabian asked Lily. Her heart sank; she was hoping that he'd have forgotten, but the Prewett twins were extremely sharp – not much really got past them. Luckily, she was spared the necessity of answering by the arrival of Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore will see you now," said their Head of House, and the nine students wordlessly trooped behind her to the Headmaster's Office. Once they were all seated, Albus Dumbledore gazed at them with the same benign yet penetrating blue gaze, and said, "Well – you all seem to have had quite an adventure tonight. I have spoken to both Mr Marcus Arnold and Professor Emily Walcott, and now I wish to hear what you all have to say. So – how about we start from you, Gideon?"

Gideon began to describe the events that had brought them there. He started at the beginning; how he and Fabian had begun their own investigation into the attacks, before teaming up with them all and their subsequent findings… He stopped at one point and said, "Professor – I think one of them should tell you about what they all did – they know it better than me, see?"

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "Miss Evans – how about you tell me about your own investigation?"

Lily nodded and began her own story from the top. The warning about the golden crown, their decision to find out who was behind the attacks, and their deduction about the full-moon pattern… She spoke about suspecting Madam Whitney and Madam Brenner, then digressed a little, talking about how they uncovered startling information on Madam Brenner which subsequently led to her arrest… She talked about the attacker's accomplice, her own deduction about the culprit's identity, the subsequent chase into the Forest and their victory against him.

At this point, Lily hesitated. After an encouraging nod from Dumbledore, she ploughed on – she talked about Professor Walcott's arrival, and how her blonde hair had been what the golden crown indicated… But as she got to the point where Professor Walcott had pointed her wand at them, she realized that she couldn't go on. The Professor's betrayal still hurt, and the reason for it was even worse. She looked at the Headmaster for support, and he seemed to read her mind.

"Thank you, Miss Evans," he said, and Lily nodded and went silent at once. Dumbledore addressed them all once again. "You all have shown exemplary courage tonight, and in the process made myself and Professor McGonagall proud, very proud. Your motive behind breaking all these rules was noble, and you have shown yourselves as true Gryffindors… So, why don't we make it fifty points to Gryffindor – apiece," he added, with a twinkle in his eyes, and Lily's heart leapt. They might win the House Cup this year at last! "Oh, and fifty for Mr Lupin as well, I'm guessing that he, too, was involved?" Dumbledore asked inquiringly, and Potter and Black nodded enthusiastically, exchanging gleeful looks.

"And now – I know you've all got a lot of questions, so I shall try to be as clear with my explanation as possible. I have, based on what you told Professor McGonagall here, Lily – interrogated Professor Walcott and Marcus Arnold separately. Let me start with Mr Arnold…"

Dumbledore surveyed them all seriously. "Marcus Arnold is the son of two Muggle parents, who came to England from the United States of America eight years ago. Since Marcus was born with magical abilities, he was offered a place in Hogwarts, which he accepted. However, due to his Muggleborn status, he was often the object of ridicule and scorn in his own House – this resulted in his disdain for blood status. All that changed when his life was threatened by one of Lord Voldemort's higher-ranking Death Eaters – it's what his supporters call themselves – unless he agreed to do something for them. His mission was to prove his worth by attacking one student every month, without breaking the full-moon pattern. Failure to do so would result in death for him. There would be someone who would help him, whose identity he wouldn't – and still, doesn't – know. By doing this, Voldemort's minion presumably thought to discredit the Hogwarts teaching staff, trying to get us thrown out – but the governors took a kinder view, though Abraxas Malfoy did vehemently oppose my presence here. The rest of the governors allowed us to discreetly investigate this matter.

"As for Professor Walcott – soon after her rescue last year, she was given certain proof by the Death Eaters that her son was alive – and would stay alive if she complied to the Death Eaters' demand, else he'd die. Professor Walcott agreed to do their bidding – she applied for and accepted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job and mentored Marcus – but I'm happy to say that she still retained a moral conscience. She put the attacked students out of danger of death immediately, and also made sure they'd be found quickly, within a couple of hours – so that she could ensure that no one else died, and her son stayed alive as well.

"And tonight – when she understood that the mission had been compromised, she tried to salvage it by attempting to wipe out the memories of Mr Potter and Mr Evans. I have seen that memory myself, and it has enough evidence to show me that she deserves a second chance. I must, therefore, ask you – or, rather, implore you – to keep all of this to yourself. Granted, you aren't bound to do so, but I must ask you to do the same for the sake of Professor Walcott's child. Do you all promise to keep this information to yourself, at least for the time being?"

They all nodded solemnly, and Lily felt relieved. The thought of inadvertently causing the death of an innocent two-year-old had been more than she could bear.

Dumbledore continued further, "Based on some more information from Professor Walcott, a rescue mission for her son is currently being planned, and will be underway very soon. On the other hand, Marcus Arnold will be kept hidden in the castle – until it is safe to deal with him. He must undoubtedly face punishment for his actions.

"Professor – what's going to happen to Professor Walcott?" Lily asked softly.

Dumbledore looked at her and said solemnly, "We are hopeful that we can rescue Professor Walcott's son from the clutches of the Death Eaters. Once we do that, both of them will be sent into hiding – possibly out of the country. For now, Professor Walcott will resume her normal duties – under my constant watch, obviously. This is a necessary thing, so that no one on the Dark Side smells a rat," he added, clearly as a response to the indignation on their faces. "I must ask you to maintain normalcy in your behaviour with her – until the end of this year, at least. Can you do that?"

 _We don't really have a choice, do we?_ thought Lily indignantly, but she nodded all the same. She was mature enough to be normal with the person who had nearly wiped out her memory – but only because the life of a child was at stake. She understood Dumbledore's reasons for this course of action – but she couldn't accept it; in her eyes, Professor Walcott's crimes were too abhorrent to be forgiven.

Dumbledore was speaking again. "And as for Mr Arnold – he will, no doubt, be expelled. This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated at Hogwarts. After that, however, he too will be sent into hiding."

They all sat silently after this long narrative. Lily had another question, but she wasn't sure if she should ask – but luckily, Potter did it for her. "What about Madam Whitney, Professor?" he asked. "She keeps going to Hogsmeade – we don't know why, but we found it fishy –"

"I'm afraid, Mr Potter, that it is one thing I cannot tell you," said Dumbledore firmly. "I will, however, say this. Madam Whitney was brought here because Madam Pomfrey requested a year's leave to care for her ailing father – a leave that I granted. As for Madam Whitney's reason for going to Hogsmeade – I can assure you that it wasn't anything nefarious. Also, I'd like to give you a tip – if someone is being secretive, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're doing something vile."

Dumbledore stood up, and Lily recognized this as a dismissal. She stood up, too – as did everyone else. "Remember," the Headmaster said solemnly, "Discretion is of paramount importance. The life of an innocent boy is at stake – and I need your help to ensure that he stays alive. Well done, all of you – you have made me a proud man. Professor McGonagall, will you escort these students to their common room?"

"Certainly," said their Head of House, who had been standing silently all this while. She beckoned to them all, and the entire party stepped out of the Headmaster's office and began to walk towards the common room. "Thank you for rescuing us, Professor," said Lily earnestly, walking fast to catch up with Professor McGonagall. "How did you find us so quickly?"

"I saw a bunch of red sparks right before they vanished," said Professor McGonagall. "And as for how I found you so quickly – it was magic, Miss Evans," she added tartly, and Potter and Black sniggered behind them. "You did come out of this incident unscathed – but you may not be so lucky every time. You needn't have been so reckless – in fact, this goes for you all," she added, looking back at the others. "The next time you feel the need to do something heroic, make sure you consult us first."

Professor McGonagall left once they were all safely in the common room. "What a night!" Potter exclaimed. "We caught the git – and we got a lot of points too!"

"Yep," said Liz, sharing his enthusiasm. "A good night's work, indeed!"

They sat up talking for a long time before slowly trudging off to bed. Lily lay awake for a while, thinking about the events of the night – before remembering that her exams started in a few days. She wished that Dumbledore had exempted her from the exams instead of awarding points to Gryffindor for her efforts… That would've been nice…

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Exam week began and a strange silence fell over the castle. First up on Monday morning was Transfiguration, where they had been set a number of difficult tasks, the hardest of which involved turning a teapot into a tortoise. Lily had hoped that Professor McGonagall would go easy on them, thanks to their daring actions the previous week – but it wasn't to be. She emerged from the exam ashen-faced; her tortoise still had a handle for a tail – but to her relief, she wasn't the only one who'd found the exam difficult. Apart from Liz, Potter and Black, everyone had had some or other issue with their tortoises, the most comic of which was a tortoise which whistled like a teapot every time anyone looked at it.

They had Charms next, and to her relief, Professor Flitwick tested them on Cheering Charms – something which she accomplished with perfection, causing Professor Flitwick to squeak excitedly as if she'd placed a Cheering Charm on him, too. Care of Magical Creatures took place the following morning, and Professor Kettleburn's exam was much simpler than his classes – a large tub of Flobberworms awaited them, with their task being to keep their Flobberworm alive by the end of one hour. Since flobberworms flourished best if left to their own devices, it was a piece of cake. Potions was next, and Lily was sure she'd aced it, finishing her Potion with ten minutes to spare, and earning an approving grin from Professor Slughorn, who rewarded her with a slab of Honeydukes chocolate as the rest of her classmates looked on enviously.

Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower; then History of Magic on Wednesday morning, followed by Herbology that afternoon, in the greenhouses under the hot summer sun. Thursday morning was reserved for optional subjects, which meant that Lily and Liz had their Arithmancy exam; they both came out reasonably pleased with themselves. The afternoon was devoted to Divination, and Lily wasn't quite sure about her crystal-gazing skills; she'd seen nothing but a foggy, swirling mass, which she'd interpreted as upcoming hardship, though she couldn't say what it was, and Professor Presprechen had left it at that, a little disappointed. She'd thanked the professor for her warning at the start of the year, though – a fact that had pleased the professor considerably.

Lily was dreading their last exam, Defence Against the Dark Arts on Friday – but that wasn't because she was nervous, but because she'd be coming face to face with Professor Walcott for the first time after the scene in the forest. She wasn't sure how she'd react on seeing the teacher who had been more of her friend…

In spite of her actions over the past few months, Professor Walcott had found it in her to create one of the most unusual exams Lily had ever taken. It was an obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, before conjuring a silver mist Patronus that lasted for more than ten seconds when hit with the spells that mirrored a Dementor attack. Lily did well against the Grindylow and the Red Caps before nearly getting confused by the Hinkypunk but managing to exit the marsh just in time to enter a closed room for the final bit. Battling the darkness and despair with sheer will of force, she was at last able to conjure silver vapour which formed a weak albeit protective barrier around her; she wandered out as soon as the spells were lifted.

"Well done, Lily," said Professor Walcott, trying to make eye contact, but Lily didn't even look at her. "Could you stay after the exam, please? I would like a word…"

As much as she'd have liked to leave, Lily was curious to hear what the teacher had to say, so she waited until everyone else was done before approaching the professor. "What is it, Professor?" she asked, trying to muster as much contempt as she could as she said 'Professor'. "I recall that you wanted a word – it's a good thing my memory is intact, isn't it?" She looked directly at the teacher as she spoke, and felt only a little regret at the hurt in Professor Walcott's doe-soft brown eyes.

"I just wanted to apologize – I hope one day you'll forgive me, Lily," said the teacher softly. "And I wanted to say – thank you. Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are, for helping me, and – for being there." Her eyes filled with tears, and Lily melted a little, but she steeled herself again and reminded herself that whatever the intent, there was no justification for letting innocent people get hurt. "I didn't do it for you," she said evenly. "I did it for your son… I hope you two are reunited soon, but I don't want anything more to do with you, Professor. May I go now?"

She knew that she was being rude, but she couldn't help it. Professor Walcott's eyes closed for a second as she absorbed Lily's words, but then she said, "I can't ask for anything more. I'm sorry, Lily." Lily just nodded and left before her poise could crumble. She couldn't bear to be with the woman who had betrayed her trust…

"What did Walcott want?" asked Liz as they ate lunch amid the din; everyone's exams were over, and the castle appeared to be in a state of considerable excitement. Lily shook her head and said, "I'll tell you later – how about a walk after lunch?" Liz nodded solemnly. Within an hour, the two of them were sitting at the edge of the lake. Lily explained about Professor Walcott, and Liz echoed her sentiments. They whiled away the afternoon discussing their entire adventure, how they'd resolved to solve the mysteries with flying colours. They them moved on to discussing their plans for the summer when Potter and Black joined them.

"Evans, Hunt – how's it going?" Potter asked, and Liz smiled at him and said, "I was just telling Lily about the World Cup. Where's Peter and Remus?"

"Playing Wizard's Chess," said Black, rolling his eyes.

"The World Cup's going to be great!" exclaimed Potter, "Though we've been drawn into a Group of Death – Germany and South Africa are with us, so we must be at the top of our game!"

"What's a Group of Death?" asked Lily, confused. The other three rolled their eyes, before Liz explained, "It's when three strong teams are drawn into the same group, and only two can qualify for the next rounds. The World Cup has sixteen teams, see? There's four groups of four – each team plays the others once in a round-robin format before the top two teams from every group qualify for the next round – where they'll battle each other in a series of knockout rounds en route to the final! Got that?"

Lily nodded and said dryly, "Yes – contrary to popular perception, I do understand sports."

"That's just as well, because you're coming with us to the World Cup final!" said Liz enthusiastically. "It's in France this year – and Dad got tickets for the final! I just hope any team from the United Kingdom qualify for the final – that would be fun, that would!"

"Yeah – it would!" said Black fervently. He and Potter got up. "See you in Paris for the final!" said Potter, and the pair of them waved to Liz and Lily before going back towards the castle. Lily got up and said gratefully, "Well – thanks for inviting me to the World Cup." She hadn't really wanted to be left out, and Liz had come through for her once again. Liz grinned and said, "Anytime, Lil… I'll turn you into a Quidditch fan yet!"

"We'll see about that," Lily grinned back.

Liz's expression turned serious. "There's something I've been wanting to discuss with you, Lily," her best friend said solemnly. "What?" asked Lily, nonplussed.

"It's about Remus," said Liz, and Lily's heart leapt with anxiety. Had Liz figured out Remus's secret, too? "That full-moon thing got me thinking, Lily – I noticed that Remus is never in the castle on full-moon nights. Furthermore, his Boggart looks eerily like the moon – and that day in the Hospital Wing, he was all scratched up. I think I've figured out that he's the one who's ill, and not his Mum…"

Liz was getting uncomfortably close to the truth. "I think I know what his illness is, too… But I don't think I should tell you, considering that it's not my secret to tell. But I think you can figure it out yourself, the same way I have –"

"Yeah, except for one small thing," Lily cut across her best friend. "I already figured it out months ago, and I don't care one bit."

There was surprise and admiration in Liz's eyes as she looked at Lily. "You've known for months?" she asked, and Lily nodded. "Do you care if he's – what he is?" she asked Liz, looking directly into Liz's eyes. Liz looked back at her steadily and said firmly, "Not one bit. Mum and Dad wouldn't have, either – and so, nor do I."

"I'm glad," said Lily in relief, and hugged Liz tightly. "Remus needs his friends…"

"Yes, he does," agreed Liz. "Now, come on – I'm hungry, and I'm looking forward to a night of no studying after a long time!" Together, they walked back to the castle, happy that their exams were over at last…

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Lily and the others spent the better part of the final few days of term lazing around in the sun. The outside news of more attacks and deaths were a damper, something that went against the beautiful sunshine they received every day – but because of the Ministry's preventive measures that started about a year ago, the number of attacks on Wizarding homes had reduced to about half. Life in Hogwarts went on as usual, save for one odd thing: Professor Walcott had stopped appearing at mealtimes.

Then, in the last week of term, they were all called to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster explained that Professor Walcott's son had been rescued, and that they were both on their way to Australia at that very moment. This welcome news was met with general cheering, and Dumbledore smiled indulgently and said that it wouldn't have been possible without their own efforts. He also added that Marcus had been discreetly expelled, and was on his way out of the country as well, for his own safety. Lily and the others walked out of Dumbledore's office with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Their results came on the last day of term, and to her enormous delight, Lily had emerged second that year, only behind Roger Hathaway, and beating Potter by a solitary mark, a fact that she didn't waste any time rubbing Potter's nose in, especially after seeing how much it irritated him. She also met Severus discreetly that day; they made plans to catch up over the summer after more than six months of minimal contact.

The Leaving Feast that year completed Lily's happiness; with a record tally of eight-hundred-and-twelve points, Gryffindor had won the House Cup for the first time in seven years. Finally satisfied with the completion of her two objectives of beating Potter and contributing in winning the House Cup, Lily was looking forward to a fun-filled summer – a trip to France with Liz, visiting Matthew, meeting Severus almost every day… _It's going to be fun_ , she thought happily as she celebrated with the rest. _It's going to be fun!_

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 **Author's Note:**

Thank you very much for reading and staying with this story for so long. I'm going to take a break now… The next chapter will be up some time next year. Stay tuned and happy holidays!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	32. Chapter 31

Thanks for the reviews, KJ, HARDINMAN and Filtercoffee. Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-one; we're into fourth year now. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-One**

 **Before the Final**

"I hope I at least understand what's going on in the match tomorrow," said Lily, a little fretfully.

Liz laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, Lil – you've watched Quidditch before, I'm sure you'll get it – but I can guarantee you, it won't be like anything you've ever seen before."

They were sitting at the dining table at Huntington Cottage; it was a warm summer evening in late August. Lily had had an uneventful summer so far; though the Daily Prophet brought news of more and more violence and deaths, nothing out of the ordinary really happened at Cokeworth. She'd spent most of her summer doing her homework with Severus at their favourite spot – under the big aspen tree in the woods, near the clearing where Severus and she had sat so many times before they'd started at Hogwarts. She hadn't been able to resist giving him a detailed account of how she'd figured out the identity of the attacker last year, and though Severus had shown resentment at the fact that she and his arch-enemy (none other than James Potter) were warming up to each other, he'd been mightily impressed with her deduction skills. Once or twice, however, he'd seemed a bit distant with her – maybe it was just her, but he seemed to be a little guarded about what he told her. She hadn't pushed the issue – maybe he was having problems at home. They never talked about his home life.

Severus had come to dinner at their place a few times, too. Her parents were starting to warm up to him more and more; they liked hearing good things about Lily, and it embarrassed her to see that Severus made it sound that she was a much more incredible version of herself. Petunia never lost an opportunity to insult him, though – the fact annoyed Lily to no end, but to her surprise, Severus hadn't retaliated – Lily asked him about that later, but all he'd said was that he had a plan. The plan in question had been letting loose a large tarantula on Petunia one day as she shopped in the supermarket. Lily had watched, terrified and gleeful at the same time, as Petunia had shrieked and proceeded to knock over a number of shelves in the supermarket in an effort to get the spider off – Lily and Severus had made a hasty exit from the scene at that point, before anyone could link them with the havoc. Her amusement had been somewhat dampened when her parents had had to pay for all the damage, but in her head she felt that Petunia had deserved it – she had been very rude to Severus.

Then she'd been at Matthew's house for a weekend in July, too – coincidentally, the FIFA World Cup final happened to be on that Sunday, and Matthew had dragged her in front of the telly to watch what turned out to be a very exciting football match. Matthew had made sure that she understood the game – he had spent the better part of that morning explaining it to her, after all – so when they watched the game, Lily had been able to grasp what was going on, and much to Matthew's satisfaction, she had even 'oohed' and 'aahed' at appropriate moments. Matthew had told her something about the Dutch style of play, dubbed as 'Total Football' – ruing all the while about England's lack of qualification to what had turned out to be a cracker of a tournament. West Germany had won the game two goals to one, with the winning goal coming from their prolific striker, Gerd Müller – a player Matthew admired and idolized. Lily had had a lot of fun at Matthew's.

Liz had stayed with her for a week as well, and the two of them had even had tea with Severus once or twice at the little teashop right around the corner from Lily's house. Severus and Liz still hadn't warmed up to each other, but she appreciated them for making an effort to be polite on her behalf. It wasn't amusing, though, when they teamed up against her and pulled her leg for the better part of an hour. Liz had also told her about the Quidditch World Cup that would take place in August, and that her mother was getting them prime tickets for the final, regardless of whether or not England qualified for it. Liz had been thrilled when England did, in fact, qualify for the final, though their opponents would be the ruthlessly efficient West Germany team who had already beaten them once and had been unbeaten all tournament.

Lily had arrived at Liz's place that morning itself. France was hosting the World Cup, and she would be travelling with Liz and Mrs Huntington the next day. She'd been a little disconcerted when Liz had told her that she wouldn't need her passport or visa; how else was she supposed to enter France? Wouldn't she need it to travel by aeroplane? Then again, if magic was involved, there had to be a way to circumvent the need for a passport… Looking at Mrs Huntington, she asked the question that had been on her mind all day.

"How're we getting there, Mrs Huntington? Did you book aeroplane tickets?"

There was a pause, following which all three of the Huntingtons burst into laughter. Lily flushed crimson but didn't ask anything more; she was sure, at least, that they weren't going by plane the next day.

"I'm sorry, dear – I shouldn't have laughed, it was rather unkind of us all," said Mrs Huntington, even as she wiped tears from her eyes. "We're going by Portkey – do you know what that is?"

"Er – no," said Lily, somewhat shamefacedly. Once again, her ignorance of the Wizarding world's basic things was being exposed, and she positively hated it. "What _is_ a Portkey?" she asked.

Liz rolled her eyes, and unfortunately for her, Mrs Huntington caught the movement. "Now, Liz – there's no need for that," she said reprovingly. It was Mr Huntington, however, who answered her question.

"Sweetheart, a Portkey is an object that's been bewitched to instantly bring anyone touching it to a specific location. It can be anything – old potions bottles, tea-kettles, mouldy old boots – essentially, anything that wouldn't draw the attention of Muggles, something nondescript. A majority of witches and wizards prefer to Apparate, but it's dangerous over long distances. Brooms are too slow, and the Floo network has a lot of tedious paperwork if you mean to travel internationally – so, a Portkey is the best way to travel to France."

"So – what do we have to do, catch a Portkey tomorrow?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"Correct," said Mr Huntington shortly.

"There are about a hundred locations in Britain from which a Portkey can take us to Paris," Mrs Huntington supplied. "The best part is – they have an hourly frequency, so you can take the next one if you miss the one you wanted to go by. We're leaving early tomorrow, and luckily for us, the closest Portkey is just on the outskirts of Cherrywood, about half a mile from our house."

Lily nodded with relief and understanding. "So, what happens after a Portkey delivers someone to the destination?" she asked.

"It returns to its original place – if bewitched to be used again, that is," said Mr Huntington. "So when you three take it tomorrow, it'll be back – so that it can take the people who leave an hour later."

"That's why, we should take the one at five-fifty-five," said Mrs Huntington. "There won't be too many people then – otherwise, the last ones to arrive may have to take the one an hour later. Sure you don't want to come, Rick?" she added, turning to her husband, who sighed and said, "Nah – I wish I could, but there's a lot of things I need to do – Mr Crouch isn't exactly being the best of bosses. He's really pushing for a new law – and I'm going to try and stop it from happening. I was just discussing it with the Potters – Fleamont's going to be with me tomorrow at the meeting, too, which leaves Euphemia with James and Sirius."

 _Fleamont and Euphemia Potter? Interesting names_ , thought Lily. And wasn't Black's family going to be there? Why was he with Potter? She sighed a little as she remembered why Remus won't be coming with them. It was the full moon two nights later…

"Marlene may to meet us directly at the campsite," said Liz. "Same with Mary – but honestly, it's hard to say if we can meet at all, given the sheer number of people who will be there – but we can try, can't we?" Lily nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's nearly nine," said Mrs Huntington, standing up. "You two should get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow!"

"Yes – OK, Mum. Good night, Dad – wish you were coming with us!" said Liz, a little mournfully. Mr Huntington smiled and said, "Me too, dear – but duty calls."

"Good night, Mr and Mrs Huntington," said Lily politely, and she and Liz exited the dining room to make their way to Liz's bedroom.

"Why isn't Black going with his parents and brother?" Lily wondered aloud as they changed into their pyjamas. Liz grimaced; when she spoke, her voice was unusually bitter. "Black doesn't get along with his family. From what he said, his parents don't like him for being in Gryffindor, and for not sharing their views on Muggles and Muggleborns. And you know how he is – impulsive, reckless and vocal about his opinions. He spends most of his holidays with James and his family. He likes it much better there, he said."

Lily nodded sympathetically. Sirius Black was extremely irritating, and she hated the way he picked on Severus – but he, too, seemed to have his heart in the right place. With a sigh, she remembered how he'd shielded her from his insane cousin back in their first year. Yes, Sirius Black seemed to have a fierce sense of loyalty towards his friends – and friends of friends, too, apparently.

She never realized when she drifted off until she was being shaken roughly by Liz a few hours later. "Wake up – it's nearly four-thirty, we have to leave in an hour!" Liz was saying urgently, and that jolted her awake immediately. She bathed and got dressed in record time, before having a couple of pieces of toast and a small cup of tea. She waved goodbye to a sleepy-eyed Mr Huntington and hoisted her rucksack on her back before setting off behind Mrs Huntington and a rather excited Liz at the stroke of five-thirty.

It took them ten minutes to walk half a mile passing through a clump of trees before coming across a clearing. "Now, based on the list of portkeys, the Cherrywood one is a shoe," Mrs Huntington said; they then spread out and began to look for it. Five minutes later, Liz hollered, "Over here – I think I've found it!"

Lily made her way towards Liz, who was holding up a worn-out, black-coloured shoe with an expression of distaste. Mrs Huntington checked her watch and said, "We've got almost five minutes."

"So what're we supposed to do – hold it?" Lily asked curiously.

"Unless you don't want to come to the World Cup final, yes," Liz said mischievously, and Lily rolled her eyes. Mrs Huntington smiled and said, "You don't need to hold it, dear – just a finger on it would suffice." Lily nodded and pressed a finger on the shoe. It felt cold and stiff.

They stood there silently, waiting… It suddenly struck Lily how weird it would look if a Muggle were to see them now – they were just standing there, holding an old, smelly shoe…

"It's nearly time," said Mrs Huntington. "Three – two – one –"

It happened immediately: Lily felt a jerk somewhere near her navel as her feet left the ground. She was speeding forward with Liz and Mrs Huntington as the wind howled in her ears; her forefinger was stuck to the shoe as though it was glued to it, pulling them all with it. And then –

Her feet slammed into the ground and her knees buckled immediately as the Portkey hit the ground in front of her. She looked up to see Liz and her mother still standing and felt embarrassed; she shrugged off Liz's helping hand and rose to her feet quickly.

" _Six heures moins cinq de_ Cherrywood," said a female voice, and Lily spun around to see a tiny witch with a clipboard standing behind them. She took the shoe from Mrs Huntington and tossed it in a box of other used Portkeys; Lily could see a dirty pillow, an empty plastic bottle and a rusted can of sardines.

Lily looked around her as daylight began to set in. They had arrived at what appeared to be the French countryside; she supposed that they were somewhere on the outskirts of Paris. They stood there silently as the woman verified their tickets before saying something to Mrs Huntington and gesturing to them to move on. They started walking away just as a large group of people clutching a teapot arrived rather noisily.

"Come on, girls – this way," said Mrs Huntington.

"Woah, Mum – what _is_ this place?" Liz asked in wonder, looking around; they were now at the edge of a field, and Lily could make out hundreds and hundreds of tents, in the foggy daylight.

"This, sweetie, is a charming meadow on the French countryside," replied Mrs Huntington. "The World Cup was held in four different cities – Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse. Each of these cities has Quidditch clubs that play in the French League – or the _Première ligue_ , as it's called here. They're all situated well outside the cities themselves, in order to avoid Muggles – and for the World Cup, they've served as venues. The final will take place later tonight at the Stade National de France – that's where we are now."

Lily looked around curiously as they made their way up the field. She gazed in wonder at a few tents that were extravagant, resembling small houses. She supposed that there would be a lot of anti-Muggle security, but they hadn't encountered a Muggle so far – perhaps the French Ministry of Magic had ensured it.

"Always the same," said Mrs Huntington, smiling slightly as they passed a tent with two storeys, complete with a chimney and wind-vane, and a miniature fountain in front of it. "We can't resist showing off when we get together, can we? Ah, look – here we are, this is our spot."

There was an empty space, with a sign hammered into the ground that read 'Huntington'. Right next to their designated space was a sign that read 'Potter'. Lily sighed; she didn't feel like spending the rest of the day with Potter and Black, but there didn't really seem to be any way around it…

Mrs Huntington removed the tent canvas and poles from her bag; pointing her wand at it, she said, " _Erecto!_ " The canvas rose into the air with one fluid motion and settled onto the ground as a tent, fully constructed. "Come on, then!" said Mrs Huntington, and Lily followed her and Liz into the tent. Her jaw dropped as she entered; it looked like she'd walked into a three-room flat, complete with a fully functioning kitchen, a bathroom and even a dining table.

Liz, who seemed completely unimpressed with the tent's astonishing inner proportions, settled herself into a comfortable-looking armchair, but Mrs Huntington said, "No, no – no sleeping now, dear, we'll have a quick breakfast first, so help me with that." Liz scowled, and Lily quickly said, "I feel fine, Mrs Huntington, I'll help – Liz can take a little nap if she likes."

"Well, that's sweet of you, dear," said Mrs Huntington kindly, and Lily proceeded towards the kitchen, nodding to Liz who mouthed 'Thanks!' to her before settling back and closing her eyes. They made bacon and eggs, and Lily was just finishing her breakfast when she heard familiar voices.

"Evans – Mrs Huntington!" called an enthusiastic voice, and Lily turned around to see James Potter and Sirius Black enter their tent without invitation. Black immediately shook Liz awake, and she responded by giving him a smack on the head. He tipped the armchair in retaliation, and Liz fell to the floor. Lily giggled as Liz shot Black a dirty look and sprang to her feet, ready to attack him – but Mrs Huntington stepped between them immediately.

"Now, now – no need for that," she said reprovingly. "Where's your mother, James?"

"She's making preparations for lunch, Mrs Huntington," said Potter, and Mrs Huntington nodded and said, "I'll just drop in and say hello, then – Lily, do you have this under control?"

"Yes, Mrs Huntington, no problem at all," said Lily reassuringly as she removed the scrambled eggs from the pan and set the plate in front of Liz, who whispered another 'Thanks' to her. Shaking her head, Mrs Huntington stepped out of the tent.

"So – d'you lot want to look around after breakfast? We'll find a number of familiar faces for sure!" Potter said, and Black nodded eagerly. Lily looked at Liz, who shrugged; left with no choice, she nodded yes, too. Once Liz was done, they were just about to set off when Mrs Huntington returned to the tent and said, "Oh, wait – where're you all going?"

"Just looking around, Mum – might find a few people we know," said Liz.

"Be back here by eleven – I've got something planned for you all. Mrs Potter's going to make lunch for us all," said Mrs Huntington. Slightly bemused, they nodded before setting off.

They ran into a number of people from Hogwarts as they walked around the campsite. Lily stopped to chat for a few minutes with Melissa Knight and Claire Palmer, two Ravenclaws from their year. They met Jane and Mark, too; once they were out of earshot, Potter and Black had a few comments to make, which had her laughing very hard in spite of herself. They met Mary and Marlene, too, and were promptly invited for a second breakfast. They ran into a few more familiar faces – Diane Goodwin, the Prewett twins, a couple of unpleasant Slytherins and Frank Longbottom with Alice Rutherford as well. Frank they greeted cordially; he told them proudly that he'd been accepted into the Auror training programme with the Ministry along with Alice, and that they were currently going through a series of rigorous tests. They left after having another cup of tea.

"Oh, no – it's a quarter-to-eleven! Mum doesn't like it if we're late – we should be getting back!" Liz exclaimed, looking at her watch as they wandered around aimlessly. They began to dart back through the mass of tents, passing through a region where the West German fans were in majority. She turned around one of the tents before crashing into something, falling backwards as a result.

" _Entschuldigung_ ," said a deep voice, and someone helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry – I must see where I am going!" the speaker continued in a German accent. It was a remarkably handsome boy who seemed to be about two or three years older than her. He was tall, well-built with black hair and warm light-brown eyes. He didn't look German at all; he was fair, but his skin tone was olive.

"No – that's quite all right," she said, blushing a little – that was odd, why was she blushing? Ahead of her, she saw her friends looking at her, confused. "I'm Lily Evans," she said quickly, and he smiled at her. "My name is Hansraj," he said, "But you can call me Hans – that's what I'm known as in Germany – I'm Indian, but born and brought up in _München_. And based on your accent, I take it you're English – which means you go to Hogwarts, don't you?"

"Yes – yes I do," she replied, and felt the blush spreading all over her cheeks – what was happening? Was it his handsome face, his well-toned muscles, or his beautiful eyes – what was throwing her off like this? Suddenly, playing with her hair seemed to be a good idea – putting thought into action, she asked, "So, you're a West German supporter?"

"Let me see – was it the big flag over my tent, or was it this hat that I'm wearing in the Team's colours that gave me away?" he asked, his face straight, and Lily roared with laughter. _Why am I laughing?_ she thought. _It was more dry than funny –_

"Lily, we're getting late!" said Liz, coming up to her with an irritated expression on her face before turning to look at the boy and drawing in a sharp breath. A smile lit up her face as she said, "I'm Liz – nice to meet you! And these two are Sirius and James," she added as the boys came up behind her. Black smiled in acknowledgement, but Potter's was more of a grimace – his eyes were narrow as he looked at Hans.

"My name is Hans, and I go to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," said Hans. "It was nice to meet you –"

"Yeah, yeah – we're kind of in a hurry, mate," said Potter, rather churlishly. "See you around – come on, Hunt, or your Mum will go ballistic –"

Irritated, she was about to admonish him for his rudeness but she stopped herself; he _was_ right, they were running late. Hans looked at her and smiled a dazzling smile. "Well, good luck – may the better team win. _Auf Wiedersehen!_ "

"Bye!" said Lily with a wide grin, before setting off behind the others. As soon as they were out of the West German section, Liz looked at her and said mischievously, "Oooh, of all the blokes we have in Britain – your first crush just had to be that handsome German!"

"Crush? What rubbish!" Lily exclaimed. "And he's actually Indian…"

Liz snorted and said, "You should look at your face – it's redder than a tomato!"

"Ha ha – Evans _loves_ Hans!" Black exclaimed, and hooted with laughter.

"No – I do not –" she said wildly, but it was of no use; she was blushing even more, and Liz and Black seemed to find this hilarious. Potter, however, looked sour-faced and annoyed. _What's his problem?_ thought Lily, but she had no time to brood on it as they arrived at their tent to find Mrs Huntington waiting for them.

"You're late!" she said disapprovingly.

"Well – we were on course but Lily –"

But that was as far as Liz got before Lily stepped hard on her foot. Black laughed loudly, but to Lily's surprise, Potter was looking surly yet again. It was most mysterious, but she shook it off _; it must be something else that's bothering him_ , she thought.

"Well, come on, then," said Mrs Huntington, "Their time is of value!"

"Er – _whose_ time, now?" asked Liz, bewildered.

Mrs Huntington smiled widely and said, "Well – the players! _Their_ time!"

There was one second, when blank shock registered on everyone's faces. Then Liz let out an excited squeal. "You're taking us to meet the players? Oh, _Mum_ – I love you!"

"Wow – that's really – wow!" said Black, his mouth hanging open, as Potter just stared at Mrs Huntington in disbelief.

"That's amazing, Mrs Huntington – how did you –?" asked Lily, but Mrs Huntington cut her off, saying, "I'm a former player, remember? Now – let's go!"

Together, they began to walk away from the fields (after stopping for a minute to say goodbye to Mrs Potter), in the direction opposite to the Portkey counter. Potter, Liz and Black were immersed in an excited discussion about the England National Quidditch Team, whom they were all going to meet…

They walked through a long line of saleswizards and saleswitches who were selling a lot of World Cup merchandise – souvenirs, flags, caps and a few interesting gadgets. Lily badly wanted to see what was being sold, but they were short on time, so Mrs Huntington bought a brochure for each of them – it had a programme schedule and photos of the players from both teams, along with the Quidditch teams they played for in various domestic leagues.

Lily scanned the photos of the English Quidditch team members. There was the Captain, Grant Anderson – Lily could see why Liz liked him, he _was_ gorgeous. His hairband, shoulder-length hair, and a lively face with eyes full of amusement gave him a unique look, indeed. He smiled widely at her from the photograph; he also appeared to be winking at the camera.

"If you tap the photo, they introduce themselves – in their own voices, too! Cool, eh?" said Black from next to her. He tapped Grant Anderson's photo twice; immediately, Anderson spoke in a deep voice, "Grant Anderson, age thirty, Chaser – Captain of the England Quidditch Team."

Fascinated, Lily tapped the other players' photos as well. She memorized the names of them all: the other Chasers, Larry Fox and Claire Clayton; the Keeper, Anthony 'Tony' Blake; the Beaters, Ludovic 'Ludo' Bagman and Anna Stanford, and the Seeker – Gavin Bradley, who looked like he was barely out of his teens.

She looked at the West Germany team, too – she didn't want to be caught off-guard during the match when it came to the roles of each players. Her eyes lingered on the Captain, Diane Müller – even though the photograph was black-and-white, she could tell that Diane Müller was very pretty. She tapped her photo, and the Captain smiled and said in a soft and silvery voice, "Diane Müller, _drei-und-dreizig Jahre alt, Chaser –_ _Kapitän._ " This was interesting – the West German players seemed to be bewitched to speak in German. She learnt their names by heart, too – the Chasers, Johann Vogel and Paul Schmidt; the Keeper, Christoph Becker; the Beaters, Hans Braun and Stefan Werner, and the Seeker – Judith von Stein.

She looked up from the brochure to realize that she was lagging behind the others. She hastened her pace and caught up with them – and understood that another Quidditch discussion was going on. She rolled her eyes and prepared herself to get bored for the next ten minutes.

"Diane Müller plays for Puddlemere United, with Anderson!" exclaimed Liz excitedly as they walked forward. Lily grinned slyly and said, "Ah, yes – your crush, isn't he?" Liz blushed and punched her lightly on the arm. "Speaking of crushes…" she began softly, and Lily mock-punched her back. She moved away, laughing.

"It's going to be an interesting game," said Potter, who apparently hadn't caught this exchange. "Müller's been with Puddlemere for what, eight years now? Yes – eight years. She was made Captain within a year of joining the team – and she's played a huge role in mentoring Anderson. So, when she stepped down as Captain three years ago, he filled her shoes quite efficiently – he's always said that she was an important influence in his career!"

"Which is why, it's going to be interesting," said Liz with relish. "Club Captain against former Captain and mentor – teammates for eight years, facing off at the biggest stage of all – oooh, I can hardly wait for tonight! It's a pity Diane's retiring after this game, though – she said it was going to be the final game of her career!"

"So – someone's going to have their heart broken tonight for the third time this season," said Black thoughtfully. Lily gave him a questioning look, and he explained, "Puddlemere finished second in the League this year – by a point! The Wimbourne Wasps were too good in their final game. And what's more, Puddlemere even lost the Quidditch Champions League final to the Madrid Guerreros – so either way, someone's going to be second-best in all competitions this season… Not really a record one would want, eh?"

"I've played against Diane," said Mrs Huntington from ahead of them. "I was Captain at the World Cup sixteen years ago – when West Germany defeated us in the semi-finals. I remember Diane, she was just seventeen years old then, not even out of school! But what a player she was – scoring goals at will, an absolute nightmare for our Keeper – by the time I caught the Snitch, they were nearly two hundred points up, and I knew that there was no hope of us coming anywhere close – our Chasers had almost given up. I just wanted the match to end…"

Lily nodded thoughtfully; this was the first time she was hearing Mrs Huntington talk about her final Quidditch match. She supposed that Mrs Huntington didn't talk about it too often, due to the painful memories it presumably brought to the surface.

"Here we are," announced Mrs Huntington, and Lily looked ahead in wonder as a tall, hotel-like building seemed to materialize out of thin air in front of her. "Those are the official living quarters of the participating teams," supplied Mrs Huntington. "The teams scheduled to play the match usually arrive here two days before it. Members of opposing teams usually bunk in separate wings of that building – but there's no rule that says you can't meet your opponents or spend some time with them."

They entered the hotel and made their way straight to a spacious lounge, complete with sofas, armchairs and a fireplace. A number of people were there, some engaged in discussions with each other, others merely resting or reading the Daily Prophet. Lily looked at her companions with amusement; the boys and Liz had frozen, their eyes wide – it was beyond doubt that they were starstruck.

"You made it, Margaret!" a deep voice called, sending Liz, Potter and Black into transports of delight; Lily wheeled around to see the tall, handsome man walking towards them, his face grinning in welcome and his hand extended. Mrs Huntington smiled and shook it, and said, "I hope we're not intruding, Grant –"

But Grant Anderson just waved his hand and said, "Oh, of course not! It's an honour to meet one of the greatest players to have ever played for England – though I wish you'd played for a few more years, Margaret."

Mrs Huntington smiled and said, "Nah, I knew when it was time to go." Gesturing towards them, she said, "This is my daughter, Liz – and her friends. The ones who look like something's hit them – those are the Puddlemere fans!" she added with a slight laugh.

"Mr Anderson!" Liz seemed to have found her voice at last. Blushing furiously, she said, "I _love_ you – I mean, your, er, style of play – I've been a fan for years!"

"Likewise, Mr Anderson!" exclaimed Potter, not wanting to be outdone. "James Potter – I've supported Puddlemere ever since I can remember, Sir – I'm a Chaser too, you see, and I've always tried to play like you –"

"Well, that's very flattering, thanks!" said Anderson, his blue eyes twinkling. "Do you play for your House team too, Liz?"

Liz went even redder, and managed to stammer out, "N – no, Mr Anderson – not yet – but I mean to try out next year, mostly as a Beater – or Chaser, or Seeker –"

"Well, you're enthusiastic!" said Grant Anderson with a laugh. He turned to Lily and Black, and the latter immediately stuck out his hand. "Sirius Black, Mr Anderson – it's a real honour!"

"My pleasure," said Grant Anderson, before looking at her good-naturedly. "And you are –?"

Blushing a little, she said shyly, "I'm Lily, Mr Anderson – and I do hope you win today!"

"Don't we all?" said Anderson with a wink, and they all laughed. "Hang on a minute," he added, and turning away from them, he yelled, "OI! Team! C'mere – there's some interesting people here to meet you clowns!"

The entire England team assembled behind their Captain, and shook hands with them one by one. Lily recognized them all from the brochure, and felt rather proud of herself when she remembered all their names – then again, retention of information had never been an issue for her. A few pleasantries were exchanged, following which all the players signed their brochures before going back to their activities. Anderson lingered, exchanging small talk with Mrs Huntington.

"It isn't going to be easy facing off against Diane tonight," he was saying sombrely. "They've already beaten us once, but we haven't lost a game since then – and because of that, everyone's extra-motivated to win today."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Grant," said Mrs Huntington reassuringly, and Anderson grinned.

"It's going to be odd without Diane at Puddlemere from now on, though," he said, with a twinge of sadness in his voice. "She's a great player – she was the one who really groomed me to take over once she stepped down – she was sure that she didn't want to be Captain for more than three or four years. It was unfortunate that our last match together ended with a loss – but that's life, I suppose. Maybe I can persuade her to play for another year," he added thoughtfully.

"That would be great!" Liz and Potter exclaimed in unison, and Anderson smiled indulgently. "It's easier said than done," he said, a little ruefully.

"Well, we must be getting on," said Mrs Anderson briskly. "Thank you so much, Grant – this lot really wanted to meet you all, and I'm glad that you fulfilled my request."

"Oh, it was nothing," said Grant Anderson, smiling widely. "Always a pleasure, Margaret."

"Good luck for tonight!" Liz exclaimed, and they all echoed her. "Make us proud!"

He grinned and said, "There's nothing I'd like better, believe me. Goodbye!"

They waved their goodbyes and exited the lounge. They all burst into excited chatter, even Lily – she'd been very impressed with Anderson's humility and grace. He was a handsome man, and an outstanding Quidditch player – but he didn't have the swagger or arrogance one associated with a person of his stature. He seemed to be a no-nonsense kind of person – determined, focused – the definition of the perfect athlete.

"Wow, Mum – that was such a wonderful treat!" gushed Liz, hugging Mrs Huntington tightly. "How did you know that I've been dying to meet Grant Anderson ever since I started to – well, _understand_ the game?"

"Well, did you consider the possibility that the big poster of him in your bedroom might have been some sort of clue?" Lily said dryly, but with mischief in her eyes. Mrs Huntington laughed and said, "That's correct, sweetheart – I just haven't had time to invite Grant over for dinner or something whenever you're home for the summer – so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity!"

"You're the best, Mum!" said Liz warmly as they arrived in the lobby of the hotel, with Potter and Black still chattering excitedly behind them. Liz turned towards the door in order to step out, but Mrs Huntington stopped her. "Wait, there's someone else I think you'll be interested to meet," she said, her eyes twinkling. Lily watched, amused, as Liz's expression changed from bewilderment to utter delight as she figured it out. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed, but at that very moment, Mrs Huntington turned and waved at someone. "Over here, Diane!" she called, and Liz let out a squeal of joy as a tall woman began to walk towards them. Potter froze mid-sentence, and he and Black looked in their direction with their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide.

 _It's Diane Müller!_ thought Lily, recognizing her from the brochure she'd purchased earlier that morning that contained the photos of all the players. She was even more beautiful in person. Her elbow-length hair was sunrise-blonde, and her perfectly white teeth seemed to glow as she smiled widely at them in greeting. As she came closer, Lily noted her high cheekbones, prominent chin and glossy skin. Her Teutonic-blue eyes were full of cheer as she came to a stop in front of them and exclaimed, " _Guten Tag_ , Margaret – _Wie geht es Ihnen?_ " Lily, Liz and the boys stood starstruck as Mrs Huntington hugged the Captain of the West Germany National Quidditch team.

" _Sehr gut,_ Diane _– und Ihnen?_ " said Mrs Huntington, and Diane Müller smiled. "Quite well, thank you – given the circumstances!" she replied, and her English had no trace of a German accent. She spotted them all, and her smile grew wider, if that was even possible. "And is this your daughter, Margaret?" she asked, grinning at Liz, who looked as if her own smile was permanently stuck on her face. "My, my – like mother, like daughter – she looks just like you!"

Mrs Huntington laughed and said, "Yes, that's Liz. She supports Puddlemere, too!"

Diane laughed and said to Liz directly, "A wise choice indeed, _mein Schatz_."

"Frau Müller – it's – it's such a pleasure – I'm – I'm a huge fan –" stammered Liz, and awkwardly held out her hand; Diane shook it and said, "The pleasure is all mine." Her gaze turned to Lily and the others, and she said, "And I presume these are your friends?"

At that, Potter and Black rushed forward.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Frau Müller –"

"I _love_ Puddlemere, Frau Müller!"

"Liar – you're a Tornadoes fan –"

"Hey, who asked you to interfere?"

Mrs Huntington made a clicking noise and said in an urgent whisper, "You two – _behave_!" Potter and Black stopped arguing and at least had the grace to look abashed. Diane Müller laughed and looked straight at Lily. "Hallo – you seem to be the quietest one!" she said brightly, her voice soft and mellifluous. "What's your name?"

Lily blushed and held out her hand to the Quidditch player. "Frau Müller – I'm Lily –" she managed to say, and Diane Müller gave her a firm handshake saying, "Nice to meet you, Lily – do you support Puddlemere, too?"

"Er – I –" Lily stammered, completely at sea; how in to world do you tell an internationally renowned Quidditch player, a national Captain, that you weren't a big follower of the game they played? Luckily, Liz came to her rescue and said, "Lily's Muggle-born, Frau Müller – she's slowly starting to learn the finer points of Quidditch." At that, Diane Müller's eyes widened, and she said, "Well, that's nice – you'll come to appreciate this wonderful sport as time goes by. My husband and I – we occasionally banter at times as to which sport is more entertaining, Quidditch or football."

"Football?" Black asked in a loud whisper, his tone confused. Lily was nonplussed, too; how did Diane know about football? As if in answer, Diane said, "My husband Gerd, he won the Football World Cup last month – you may have heard –?" At that, Lily made the connection. She'd watched the FIFA World Cup final with Matthew – West Germany versus the Netherlands, wasn't it? "You're married to Gerd Müller? My cousin thinks he's great!" she exclaimed with wonder. Diane grinned and said, "Does he, now? I must make it a point to tell Gerd…"

"Your performance in the League this season was brilliant, Frau Müller!" Potter interrupted from next to her, clearly not wanting to be left out. Diane grinned once again and said, "Why, thank you, my dear boy… Though it's a great pity we lost to the Guerreros in the Champions League final – I think we deserved to win it!"

"Yes – yes we did," Liz echoed. Diane said further, "Did you meet Grant? I ran into him this morning – he said it's going to be weird to play against me tonight, we've been in the same team for ages – we know each other's style of play like the palms of our hands!"

"We did, yeah," said Mrs Huntington. "Grant thinks the world of you, Diane – he said you've helped him become the player he is today!"

"Oh, he said that? That was sweet of him," said Diane softly, and Lily noticed a tiny blush appear on her cheeks. "But it was his own hard work that got him to where he is, most definitely. I almost wished that the group stage was the last time we'd play against each other in this World Cup – but that's the way the Bludger bounces, I suppose."

There was a pause, following which Mrs Huntington said, "Well, we best get going. Thanks for your time, Diane – my daughter – and her friends, too – had been dying to meet you." Diane smiled and said, "Oh, _Bitte schön_! It was nice meeting you all, too!"

"Er – can I have your autograph?" Liz burst out, and Lily said quickly, "Me too!" Behind her, Potter and Black quickly removed their brochures from their pockets. " _Sicher!_ " said Diane, and a quill materialized in her hand out of nowhere. "Wandless Summoning Charm," she said, apparently catching the expressions of awe on their faces. "Nothing great," she added dismissively as she signed all their brochures.

"Thank you so much!" Liz gushed, and they all echoed her. Diane smiled her glittering smile once again and said, "Thank you for stopping by, Margaret. A pleasure, everyone."

"Good luck, Diane," said Mrs Huntington. " _Vielen Dank_ , Margaret," said Diane cheerfully. She waved at them and said, " _Auf Wiedersehen!_ "

"Bye! And good luck!" Liz exclaimed, waving her hand vigorously; her enthusiasm amused Lily. They all exited the hotel quickly and began to make their way towards the campsite. This time, passing through of the salespeople, they stopped to buy some souvenirs. Lily bought a small Union Flag and a hat with a large red rose on it. She lingered for while with a saleswizard who was selling Omnioculars – binocular-like optical instruments that allowed the user to replay, stop or slow down Quidditch action. Fascinated, Lily bought a pair for herself before running off and notifying the others of her purchase; they all proceeded to buy one for themselves. Mrs Huntington smilingly declined one for herself; she said that her eyes were trained to follow all the action, having played at the highest level during her peak. She also bought them each a funny-looking earpiece; she explained that it was a Translator – useful to understand what someone was speaking in a foreign language – apparently, the commentary would be in French, and they'd need it if they were to understand any word of it.

They returned to their tents and had a sumptuous lunch prepared by Mrs Potter, narrating their adventures of the morning. Mrs Huntington retired for a quick nap, having been up for most of the night, and the afternoon wore on with Potter, Black and Liz discussing tactics and strategies that the English team could use against West Germany. Lily grew bored of the endless Quidditch talk, until Mrs Potter (presumably taking pity on her) took her aside and began to ask her questions about Professor Walcott; it was unclear as to why she'd left, since all Mr Potter had told her was that her son had been rescued from the clutches of the Death Eaters. Lily gave her a detailed account of how she'd figured out the truth about her former DADA Professor, and by the end of it, Mrs Potter was mightily impressed with her. Mrs Huntington woke up from her afternoon nap by then, and Liz's Spanish relatives dropped by for a few minutes to say hello as well.

Finally, they stepped out of their tent at dusk. It was twilight, and the sun lay low in the horizon. They donned their souvenirs; Potter and Black were also carrying rosettes with the red rose as their emblem. Liz wore a hat just like hers, except for the fact that it had the Three Lions instead of a red rose. They waited, their excitement growing by the minute – Lily was in a state of pleasant anticipation, too; she couldn't remember being this excited for a Quidditch game.

And at last, a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods on the edge of the meadow. At once, white and red lanterns illuminated in the trees, lighting a path to the pitch that was presumably on the other side of the trees.

"It's time!" said Mrs Huntington, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"

 _Finally_ , thought Lily as they all hurried into the jungle, following the lantern-lit path. _It's happening!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:**

I wanted to fit all this into one chapter, but I couldn't – there's too many new things for Lily to discover, they just can't fit into one chapter! The match will take place in the next chapter – so, stay tuned! And a big shout out to everyone who took the time to review – thanks to you, I've crossed fifty! I can't believe it's been a year since I started to write this story – it is because of you all that I continue to write. Do keep reading and thanks for your support!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	33. Chapter 32

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-two; we're into fourth year now. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Two**

" **What a match! It's the best I've ever seen!"**

The atmosphere was electric as they all walked forward, talking excitedly; Potter and Black skipped ahead, with Lily and Liz only about half a foot behind them, while Mrs Potter and Mrs Huntington brought up the rear. "Where are Peter and Remus? Didn't they come?" Liz asked Potter suddenly, and he grimaced. "Peter's visiting his grandmother with his Mum," he said, "And besides, he's not that big a fan of Quidditch..."

"And as for Remus, his mother – she's sick," said Black, his brow uncharacteristically serious, but with a half-glance at her. Lily nodded sympathetically yet firmly; she figured that the Remus had told the other Marauders that she knew about his secret, and Black's glance at her was an appeal for her to go with the lie, something she was only too happy to do. But Black didn't know that Liz knew, too…

At last, they emerged on the other side of the wood. Lily gasped in wonder as a colossal stadium stood in front of her, with walls of gold surrounding it. Beside her, Potter was looking at the stadium with an unimpressed gaze. "The Los Angeles stadium was bigger," he said, a little dismissively. "Argentina's going to host the next World Cup – let's hope they have a bigger stadium."

"All the same, it is the biggest stadium I've ever seen," said Lily in wonder.

"Seats about seventy thousand," said Mrs Huntington from behind her, also gazing up at the stadium. "Serves as headquarters of the Paris CQ – the _Paris Club de Quidditch_ ," she added to clarify. "The walls are new, though – it's a World Cup tradition to have golden walls around the stadium hosting the final!"

"Won't Muggles see it?" Lily asked curiously.

"No – all the Quidditch teams from the League have Muggle-repelling Charms on every inch of their stadiums and main offices," replied Mrs Huntington. "Every time Muggles come here – they remember urgent appointments and dash away. It's probably why Diane Müller's husband won't be able to see her in action – considering that he's a Muggle."

"That's unfortunate," said Lily as they joined the line that had formed near the entrance as people were being let into the stadium.

"Prime seats!" said the Ministry wizard seated at the entrance when he checked their tickets; there were three officials, speaking English, French and German – for the two finalists, and the host country. Most of the fans seemed to be French, but there was a sizeable number of West German and English fans, too. "Straight upstairs, Ma'am – as high as you can go!" the wizard added, and Mrs Huntington thanked him before leading the way to the stairs of the stadium, which were carpeted in rich purple. They kept climbing along with the crowd, which thinned as people walked through doors into the stands to their left and right; finally, they emerged into a small box, which was located exactly halfway between the goalposts. It was the highest point in the stadium, with about twenty seats situated in two rows. Lily followed the rest into the front row and took her seat between Liz and Mrs Huntington before looking down upon a sight she could never have imagined.

Seats rose in levels around the long elliptical pitch. The stadium seemed to emanate a golden light, illuminating its entire area as brightly as day. At each end stood three goal hoops; Liz had told her a long time ago that they were thirty, forty and fifty feet high. Right opposite them was a gigantic blackboard, flashing advertisements – clearly, it was a scoreboard. There was no Top Box on the other side – with a flash, she realized just _how_ good their seats were.

She began to take a look around as the Top Box began to fill up. Mrs Huntington and Mrs Potter stood up to greet the English Minister for Magic, Eugenia Jenkins – she was with the French and West German Ministers, who would watch the match together from the Top Box. A few more important dignitaries made their way as the stadium filled up more and more.

"Eugenia Jenkins is a very competent Minister," said Mrs Huntington quietly to Lily. "But I've heard rumours that some sections of the Ministry want her gone – apparently, they think she cannot deal with the threat of You-Know-Who. What rubbish!"

Lily nodded and digested the information, her mood becoming sombre momentarily; Voldemort was slowly gaining power, and the British Wizarding community was at war – but as she gazed around the magnificent stadium once again, her heart lifted with happy anticipation that drove Voldemort out of her mind.

Next to her, Potter had pulled out his Omnioculars and was twiddling around with its knobs and dials. "Wicked!" he exclaimed, "You can slow it down by about three times – that's new, earlier it was only down to twice as slow!"

Fascinated, Lily took out her own pair and began to test it. With a little help from Liz, she was able to use the basic features of the Omnioculars – replay, slow motion and zoom. The Box was now almost filled to capacity, with only one seat remaining – until a tall, well-built wizard with brown hair arrived, panting.

" _Pardon, s'il vous plaît!_ " he exclaimed. Mrs Huntington nudged Lily as said, "That's the commentator – Henry Gasquet, a former player. In fact, you lot –" she added, glancing towards them all, "—now's a good time to put on your Translators."

Lily took out her Translator and changed the language to English before putting it over her ear. Immediately, she was able to understand the commentator, who was saying, "Ready to begin, Minister?" The French Minister for Magic must've said yes, because a second later, Henry Gasquet's booming voice was being heard across the stadium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome! Welcome to the final of the four-hundred-and-seventeenth Quidditch World Cup, here in France!"

"This thing is great!" Liz shouted as they clapped along with the rest of the spectators. Lily could see flags waving and heard the national anthems of the finalists, though all were out of sync with each other. Lily observed that the board that had been flashing advertisements now read _West Germany: Zero, England: Zero_.

"And without more delay – allow me to introduce, the West German National Team Mascot!" yelled Gasquet. At that, a gigantic eagle flew over the stadium and gave a loud, piercing cry. The West German supporters clapped and cheered as the eagle circled the stadium three times with blinding speed, before flying right above the centre of the pitch and whipping its wings powerfully; everyone applauded as the eagle's feathers fell towards the ground, over the fans – they were in the West German team colours, black and white. Impressed, Lily clapped along with the rest as the eagle bowed to all four sections of the stands before settling down behind the goal posts to the left side of the field.

"It's the Imperial Eagle – been the symbol of Germany for years!" Mrs Potter addressed the group.

"And without more delay – allow me to introduce, the English National Team Mascot!" Gasquet shouted enthusiastically.

For a few seconds, nothing happened; then, Lily heard something, and she quickly looked to her right, just in time to see a majestic, thick-maned lion bound over the stands from the other side of the stadium, opposite to where the West German eagle stood. Lily barely had time to marvel over the lion's incredible jumping abilities before it came to a halt in the centre of the pitch and – gazing skywards, let out a powerful blast of fire. Lily looked on, transfixed, as the fireball rearranged itself into a fiery version of the flag of England. As the crowd clapped and cheered, the lion let out a massive roar before bounding over the side of the pitch from where it had come.

"Royal Lion – that's our mascot," said Liz, rather unnecessarily. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Wow – just, wow!" was all Lily managed to say; she was at a loss for words. Liz laughed.

"Oh, come on – start the match already!" Potter shouted; the commentator must have heard him, for he yelled, "And now, ladies and gentlemen – kindly welcome, the West Germany National Quidditch team! I give you – Vogel!"

A figure wearing white robes with black linings shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the West German supporters.

"Schmidt!"

A second figure zoomed out and alighted from his broomstick to stand next to Vogel.

"Becker! Werner! Braun! von Stein! Aaaaaaand the Captain – Müller!"

"There she is – Diane Müller!" Potter yelled enthusiastically. "Go Diane!"

"Wow, it _is_ true – a pretty lady _can_ turn a man's head!" Lily said to him dryly, and everyone else laughed as Potter blushed. "I want England to win, Evans – but I also want her to do well, seeing that she's in Puddlemere, too!" he responded defensively, and she rolled her eyes before focusing on the pitch with her Omnioculars.

"And now, presenting – the England National Quidditch Team!" shouted Gasquet. "Please welcome – Clayton! Fox! Blake! Stanford! Bagman! Bradley! Aaaaaaaand the skipper, Anderson!"

Huge cheers came from the crowd as seven red blurs swept onto the field. Lily slowed the players down through her Omnioculars just enough to see that all the players had their names, embroidered in white, on their backs. In contrast, the West German players had their names embroidered in black.

"And here's our referee – the Chairwitch of the International Association of Quidditch, all the way from Israel, Sarah Silverstone!"

A medium-heighted witch, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode up to where the players stood. She carried a trunk in one hand, and her broomstick in the other. A silver whistle protruded from her mouth; Lily supposed that it was enchanted enough to be heard over all the noise the crowd would make when the game would be going on. She focused the Omnioculars onto the ground to see the rival captains shake hands with each other as well as with the referee; all the players then proceeded to mount their broomsticks. The referee followed suit, and kicked the crate open – four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the jet-black Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch (Lily didn't really see that, but it was fair to assume that the Snitch had been released too). With a sharp blast on her whistle, the referee shot into the air after the balls, and the match commenced.

"Theeeeeeey're off!" screamed Henry Gasquet. "And it's – Anderson! Clayton! Fox – back to Anderson! Schmidt intercepts – Vogel – now Müller!"

Lily had never seen this kind of Quidditch before; the Chasers were passing the Quaffle to each other so fast that Gasquet only had enough time to say their names. She had an idea: she spun the slow dial on her Omnioculars and hit the play-by-play button on top. It worked like a charm; she was now watching everything in slow motion.

 _Speelman Steal_ , she read as she watched the West German Chaser Vogel fly just behind Larry Fox before dipping under him, and jumping: he hit Fox's broom, causing him to drop the Quaffle, which he grabbed and sped off with it before passing it to Schmidt, who immediately passed it to his Captain, but Anderson intercepted it – he zoomed in the opposite direction but had to dodge a Bludger hit by Braun, which caused him to drop the Quaffle, but luckily, it was his own teammate Claire Clayton who caught it –

"Müller scores!" shouted Gasquet, and the West German supporters cheered and applauded with great gusto. "Ten-zero to West Germany!"

"But – how?" Lily yelled wildly, as the Imperial Eagle gave triumphant cry. "Clayton had the Quaffle –"

"You need to watch at normal speed, Evans!" Potter snapped, sounding a little morose as Diane Müller did a lap of honour around the pitch. Furious with herself, Lily spun the speed dial back to normal and hit play-by-play, not wanting to miss any more of the match.

She didn't really know a lot about Quidditch, but she could tell that the West German Chasers were superior to their own. She watched with a sinking feeling as they scored goal after goal, with Diane Müller being particularly prolific. However, as the match progressed, the English Chasers began to find their rhythm, and led from the front by Anderson, began to slowly pull back; they scored three quick goals on two occasions, cutting the West German lead down to forty points – Lily noticed that the Royal Lion was roaring with a lot more verve than the Imperial Eagle.

"Anderson scores – yet again!" yelled Gasquet enthusiastically. "West Germany still lead by a hundred-and-forty points to a hundred-and-ten, but England are pulling back – this match is still open, mind you!"

"I told you – Anderson is amazing!" Liz yelled gleefully. "He's the best Chaser in –"

"Look – look at the Seekers!" Potter shouted. Lily quickly focused her Omnioculars on the two Seekers: West Germany's Judith von Stein was on Gavin Bradley's tail – the seventy thousand people in the stands 'oohed' and 'aahed' as both Seekers went into a dive, flying so fast that they looked as if they were in free fall. Lily squinted fruitlessly for a glint of gold –

And then, about five feet from the ground, Bradley pulled out of the dive and flew off; almost immediately, a Bludger came out of nowhere and managed to unseat von Stein, who fell off her broom and lay prone onto the pitch. The West German supporters let out a huge groan; concerned, Lily focused her attention on Judith von Stein, who looked as if she'd been knocked unconscious.

"Time-out!" yelled Gasquet. "Trained mediwizards are on the pitch to examine Judith von Stein!"

"Wasn't that the Wronski Feint?" Black asked loudly in wonder. Potter nodded and said, "Yeah, and they improvised it – guide the opposing Seeker into a dive, then hit a Bludger at her – wow, what a move!"

"It was Bagman who hit the Bludger, wasn't it?" asked Liz, her voice admiring yet full of concern. Potter grinned and said, "Yup – that was Bagman, all right. Great Beater – he's the reason the Wasps won the League this year!"

Lily looked at the replay through her Omnioculars: she focused on the English Beater, Ludo Bagman, as he timed his whack on the Bludger to perfection; it travelled along, rocket-like, and hit von Stein on her left shoulder – Lily winced as the West German Seeker fell off her broom. _I hope she's all right_ , she thought.

Finally, after about ten minutes, von Stein got to her feet, mounted her broom, and kicked off from the ground with the rest of her team to loud and enthusiastic cheers from the West German fans. Her revival seemed to give her team new heart, for the West German Chasers moved into action with a prowess that had been hitherto unseen.

Ten minutes later, Lily felt as if she was stuck in a nightmare. The West Germans had scored ten goals, and though Grant Anderson had managed to sneak in one of his own, the scoreboard now read two-hundred-and-forty to one-hundred-and-twenty in favour of West Germany. The Imperial Eagle cried out in delight, flapping its gigantic wings from behind the hoops, while the Royal Lion remained morose and quiet. Beside her, Liz was almost in tears, while Potter and Black alternated between letting out yells of frustration and sitting quietly with expressions of despair on their faces. "Oh, Come on!" Potter screamed angrily once again as Fox missed yet another goal, and Lily felt furious – the Chaser had been utterly wasteful in front of the hoops that evening, scoring a solitary goal and missing at least five chances.

Up in the air, with the English Chasers unable to keep up with their opponents, frustration seemed to be running high, with Bagman entering into an argument with Vogel; it nearly came to blows, but Anderson's intervention prevented it from boiling over. However, as a result of Bagman's shove to his opponent, the referee awarded a penalty to West Germany which Diane Müller immediately put away, much to the delight of her supporters. Next to Lily, Liz let out a scream of anguish, while Mrs Huntington, too, looked troubled.

Furious with the turn of events, Bagman and Anna Stanford upped the ante: an indiscriminately accurate whacking of Bludgers ensued, forcing the West German Beaters to play defensively – guarding their own players as opposed to attacking their opponents; but the English Chasers were unable to capitalize – Müller scored yet another goal, causing her fans to go into a frenzy of delight as the English supporters watched on morosely. Five ferocious minutes later, Schmidt scored, stretching the West German lead to a hundred-and-fifty points.

"It's up to Bradley now," said Potter, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it – their score is more than twice of ours – how's that even _possible_?"

"Their front three are incredible, James," said Black, sounding utterly hopeless. "We can't catch them – it's almost gone, mate."

At that very moment, the crowd let out a collective gasp as the two Seekers went into another fast dive. It was von Stein in the lead this time, with Bradley on her tail – Lily wondered if this was another Feint, but Gasquet yelled, "The Seekers are at it again – and it looks like von Stein has seen the Snitch!"

"Come on, Bradley!" Potter and Black yelled together, but there was another battle going on elsewhere… "Fox! Now Anderson – SHOOTS! But it's saved by – MÜLLER! And there's the whistle – it's all over!"

The scoreboard flashed _West Germany: Two-hundred-and-seventy; England: Two-hundred-and-seventy_. The crowd didn't seem to have realized what had happened; then, slowly, there were roars and cheers, rising in magnitude. Some sections of the crowd began to applaud.

"IT'S A TIE!" yelled Gasquet, who too seemed to be taken aback with the abrupt end to the match. "Bradley catches the Snitch – but thanks to a last-gasp save from Diane Müller, who covered for Becker after he was beaten by Anderson – the match ends in a _tie_! There will be a ten-minute break, following which we'll have a penalty shootout to decide the winner of the four-hundred-and-seventeenth Quidditch World Cup!"

"OK – what just happened?" asked Lily loudly, completely bemused. "How did _Diane Müller_ – of all people, save the goal? She's a _Chaser_!"

Liz, who seemed to have regained her cheer, said, "Just look at the replay, Lil – you'll understand!"

Intrigued, Lily set the speed dial to slow, and pressed replay and play-by-play together. She watched as Anderson attempted to shoot through the left hoop, beating the West German Keeper – but Diane Müller had anticipated this, and managed to get in the way of the Quaffle, kicking it away before it could enter the hoop, denying England what would've been a match-winning goal, considering the fact that Bradley caught the Snitch a moment later. _Wow, she's a brilliant tactician_ , Lily thought admiringly. _She knew that we'd try for a victory by banking upon a Snitch capture and scoring a goal at the same time – so she must've lingered near the goalposts…_

She turned to Liz and exclaimed, "Diane Müller's brilliant!"

"Too right she is," said Liz, a little grimly. "We nearly eked out a win – but she forced a shootout instead!"

"So how does a shootout work, exactly?" Lily wondered.

"You see, sweetie – each team gets five penalties," said Mrs Huntington. "They can nominate two Chasers to take two penalties apiece, while the third Chaser takes one – the team to score the most penalties in the five, wins."

"And if the scores are tied after five penalties?" asked Lily, and Mrs Huntington smiled.

"You're a sharp girl, Lily," she said warmly, and Lily glowed. "In that case, the game enters what is called the 'Golden Goal' phase – it starts just like a regular game, and the team to score a goal first, wins!"

"But then – why doesn't the Golden Goal take place before the penalty shootout?" Lily asked in confusion. "Surely that would be easier, wouldn't it?"

Mrs Huntington smiled and said, "Yes, it would – but then, the result shouldn't hang on to one solitary goal after a tie – it's disrespectful to the players' efforts. A penalty shootout gives each team a better fighting chance."

Lily nodded and looked at Liz, who was fidgeting restlessly. There were only a few things that made Liz lose her usual calmness and stoicism, and Quidditch was one of them. "This is mad!" Lily exclaimed. "I never thought Quidditch would make me feel _this_ anxious!"

"That's Quidditch for you, Lil!" exclaimed Liz, who now seemed to be halfway through biting her nails off in nervousness. "Oooh, I'm so tense – I can't take it!"

Everyone in the Top Box was in a state of nervous excitement; Lily could hear the Ministers for Magic gabble excitedly, but they were talking so fast that it was difficult to make out what they were saying. Next to her, Potter and Black seemed to be discussing the order in which the English Chasers should take their penalties.

"Anderson should go first and second, mate," Black was saying. Potter snorted and said, "Nah – he's better off going last – that way, he gets to win it!"

"But what if we go second in the shootout – and if someone misses, what if he doesn't get that chance at all?"

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Potter. "No one's going to miss!"

But at that moment, Henry Gasquet yelled, "The shootout is about to commence – West Germany have won the toss – and they've chosen to shoot first!"

"They're doing it now," said Liz, her jaw clenched. "Come on, you lot – make England proud!" she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Lily quickly focused on her Omnioculars as the first of the West German Chasers took position.

"It's Vogel with the first penalty!" announced Gasquet. "Vogel against Blake – and he SCORES! One-nil to West Germany – goes in for a straightforward shot into the fifty-foot hoop, and beats Blake rather easily!" The West German supporters cheered raucously at that, with loud, enthusiastic cries from the Imperial Eagle, too – while the rest of the crowd let out sighs of frustration.

"Come on, Blake!" Liz yelled in frustration. "Focus!"

"Yes, shout louder – not like he won't hear you!" said Lily mischievously, and Liz shot her a furious glare. "Not funny!" she snapped, and Lily grinned at her best friend before quickly focusing on the shootout.

"And now – it's the England Captain, Grant Anderson – who flies up to take the first penalty!" Henry Gasquet yelled enthusiastically. "Here he comes – and Becker SAVES! West Germany now have an early advantage!" The England supporters let out yells of frustration; beside her, there were tears in Liz's eyes. "You idiot – what have you done?" she yelled loudly, and Mrs Huntington put her arm around her daughter. "Calm down, sweetheart – there's four more still to go!"

Diane Müller took the second penalty – and scored. By now, most of the English supporters were silent with despair, and Lily, too, was feeling the tension. _We can't lose – not after that miraculous tie!_ she thought desperately.

Fox scored his penalty, giving the English supporters something to cheer about. It didn't last very long, however, as Schmidt scored the third penalty. Luckily, Clayton scored too, keeping England in the hunt.

"And here's Vogel with the fourth penalty – he's scored once; he just needs to do it again!" shouted Gasquet. There was a pause as Vogel took the penalty – and to Lily's enormous relief and elation, Tony Blake saved it. "And Blake SAVES!" Gasquet yelled enthusiastically, "The Britons – delight, delirium in the stands behind that goal as the prolific Chaser can't convert – the West Germans have lost their advantage!"

Lily and Liz yelled with delight as the others exploded with cheers. "Come on, you _must_ score – _come on_!" yelled Black, but his manner changed a second later. "Wait, hang on – this can't be right, it can't be Fox who's taking the fourth penalty! He's missed more goals than he's scored in the match!"

"What're they playing at?" Potter shouted angrily as Larry Fox flew up to take the Quaffle. "Fox has been pathetic all evening – Clayton should be taking the penalty!"

"Shut up and watch, James!" Liz yelled in frustration. Potter rounded on her at once. "Are you saying that Fox is a better choice than Clayton?" he asked furiously, but Mrs Potter intervened. "All right, that's enough, James," she said sternly, and Potter seemed to deflate at once. "Liz is right – why don't you watch instead of yelling?" she added, just as Gasquet announced, "And once again, here's Fox against Becker, a chance to equalize – and he DOES IT! It's a magnificent penalty, a looping shot into the forty-foot hoop – Fox has restored parity here at the Stade National de France!"

Lily could hear the roar of the Royal Lion amongst the cheers and applause, and her heart leapt – they now had a genuine chance to win the World Cup! She turned her Omnioculars to where the English Quidditch Team was, to see the relief on their faces as they all hugged Fox for scoring the fourth penalty.

"And here's Müller with the final penalty!" Gasquet shouted. "Diane Müller, who scored fifteen of the twenty-seven goals scored today by the West Germans – just has to score one more!"

"That's that – Golden Goal it's going to be, then," said Liz resignedly. "Müller doesn't miss penalties!"

Lily quickly focused on Diane Müller. Her beautiful face was set in concentration, and her Teutonic-blue eyes didn't blink as she looked steadily at the goalposts and Blake. Lily reflected upon her meeting with the West Germany Captain earlier that morning. She remembered what Black had said – it would be either her or Grant Anderson who ends up second-best in all competitions that season after this game, wouldn't it? She shuddered slightly. She couldn't imagine how it would feel…

"Here's Müller – she shoots – and she hits the ring! SHE'S MISSED IT!"

There was a stunned silence throughout the stadium for about two seconds before the English supporters cheered, whooped and jeered in equal measure. Beside Lily, Black was jumping up and down in exhilaration, but she noted that Liz and Potter were subdued, and understood: Puddlemere fans that they were, they too revered Diane Müller, and were a little shocked at her penalty miss.

Up in the air, Diane was still in the same position from where she'd shot the penalty, looking in the general direction of the goalposts, apparently stunned with her miss. Then she suddenly covered her face with her hands, and at that moment, Lily felt extremely sorry for her. A world class player like her didn't deserve that… Just then, Vogel flew up to her, and putting his arm around her, he led her away slowly, back to where the rest of their team was.

"That's a pity," said Mrs Huntington, a little sadly. "She was an outstanding player – a legendary player. It's a great pity."

"And now – it's Grant Anderson – who is – going to be – the fifth – penalty – taker – for England," said Gasquet, pausing between words for dramatic effect. "I tell you, folks – it's written – in – the stars – it looks like England are destined to win the Quidditch World Cup for the first time in this century! They're one penalty away…"

"Yeah, that's right – come on, Anderson!" Potter yelled. "Win it for good ol' England!"

"Oooh, I hope he doesn't miss deliberately to give Diane Müller another chance – they're teammates, after all!" exclaimed Lily. To her surprise, it was Mrs Huntington who snorted. "You don't need to worry about that, sweetheart – to play for your country is the greatest honour in Quidditch! No one will throw a match at this stage – even for a friend!" Lily nodded with relief just as Anderson took his position.

"Anderson – HE'S DONE IT! It's the greatest night in the history of the England Quidditch Team – World Champions!" But the rest of his words were drowned out by the crowd as a deafening roar filled the stadium; the Royal Lion, combined with the English supporters made enough noise to be heard at least ten miles away. Lily was beside herself with ecstasy, as she, Liz and the boys were soon engulfed in a many-armed hug, screaming and shouting something incoherent. Lily saw Mrs Huntington wipe a couple of tears as she clapped appreciatively, and Mrs Potter was joining in with great enthusiasm.

"And that's as good a piece of sportsmanship as any from the England Captain!" shouted Gasquet appreciatively, and Lily quickly turned her Omnioculars in the direction of the stadium, just in time to see Diane Müller sobbing uncontrollably on Grant Anderson's shoulder. The England Captain seemed to be whispering words of comfort to his club teammate, and in spite of herself, Lily's heart ached with sadness at the sight. Diane didn't deserve to go out like this, losing her final game in such a heartbreaking fashion. She looked sideways and met Liz's sea-green eyes, in which her own feelings were mirrored.

"I know what you're thinking – you're feeling sorry for Diane, aren't you?" Liz asked her, and she nodded. "She tried – she played so well – it was sad to see her miss that penalty. But that's life, I suppose," she added sagely. "Look at it this way – she's already won the World Cup once, but it's the first time for Anderson and the others – so it's more special!" At that, her heart lifted once again with euphoria. "What a match! It's the best I've ever seen!" she exclaimed, and Liz beamed.

"And as the English team performs a lap of honour, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared Henry Gasquet. Lily was suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Instinctively, she looked back at the scoreboard, and nodded in satisfaction – the scoreboard now projected the Top Box, live, focusing on the players and officials: she had guessed right, this was how the people directly under them would be able to see what was going on. She watched as two wizards carried the Cup and placed it on a table that definitely hadn't been there a minute ago; two more wizards followed, carrying a number of trophies. Lily wondered who those were for.

"Let's have a great round of applause for the most entertaining team in the tournament – the gallant runners-up, West Germany!" Gasquet shouted, and the seven defeated West German players came up the stairs into the Top Box. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Lily caught a glimpse of Diane Müller's face as she walked gracefully towards the officials; she seemed to be composed now.

One by one, Gasquet called out their names, and each player came forward to shake hands with the three Ministers for Magic – the West German, the English, and finally, the French Minister, who was giving out a silver medal to each player; though the medals were different: there was either a miniature Quaffle, a Bat, a Glove, or a Snitch. Lily understood that each medal represented the player's position in the team. Diane refused to let the French Minister put her Silver Quaffle around her neck, preferring to carry it instead; but when her name was announced, the entire stadium, West German and English fans alike, gave an earsplitting, appreciative roar. Diane was clearly popular in England, too – after all, she did play in the British and Irish Quidditch League.

And then came the English team. Potter, Black and Liz whooped and clapped as the players headed up to the officials to receive their own Gold medals – the Chasers, the Keeper, then the Beaters – and as Gavin Bradley's name was called, the stadium let out another loud roar; it was Bradley's catch that had forced the penalty shootout, otherwise the England Chasers had been outplayed by their opponents.

"And now – time for the individual awards, ladies and gentlemen!" announced Gasquet. "These awards are for the best player in each position in the team – we begin with the Platinum Gloves, and the award goes to the West Germany Keeper, Christoph Becker!"

Lily applauded with the rest as Becker went up to collect his award. He waved once to the crowd, his smile rather strained – Lily couldn't blame him, he had just lost the World Cup final, after all. She clapped with renewed vigour as Ludo Bagman received the Platinum Bat, while Gavin Bradley received the Platinum Snitch. Finally, Gasquet announced, "And last but not the least, for the most prolific Chaser in the tournament – the winner of the Platinum Quaffle, with a hundred-and-one goals in seven matches – Diane Müller!"

Once again, the crowd applauded and cheered enthusiastically as Diane went up to collect the award. As she returned to her team, though, she shook hands with all the English players, who responded with smiles and handshakes of their own. She lingered with Grant Anderson for a couple of seconds more before going forward to stand with her team. _What a wonderful Captain_ , thought Lily. _She is_ so _sporting!_ She'd been completely bowled over by the West German Captain's attitude.

At last, Gasquet announced, "And now, finally, the English National Quidditch Team – World Champions of the four-hundred-and-seventeenth Quidditch World Cup!" The crowd thundered its approval as Anderson and Bradley lifted the Cup into the air. It was passed around to each player before returning to the Captain, who kissed it and raised it high once again. Lily's hands were numb with clapping.

At last, after the English Team had left to do another lap of honour around the pitch, Lily and the others began to descend the stairs, chattering excitedly. It had been an incredible experience for Lily. Never really a Quidditch fan, her interest in the game had skyrocketed. _I'm going to watch the next final, too!_ she decided to herself firmly… _For sure…_

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"And that's that! What a game!" she exclaimed.

Severus grinned at her rather indulgently, and said dryly, "Wow – I'm surprised that you got didn't lose your voice by the end of that match – for it certainly sounds like you screamed your head off!"

They were seated on the Hogwarts Express, and the sun was low and orange in the horizon. Lily and Severus had planned to meet in an empty compartment at the very end of the train, so that they could catch up without being noticed by the Slytherins, who could certainly make life difficult for him. She had just finished giving him a blow-by-blow account of the final of the Quidditch World Cup, and he'd been a patient listener… She punched him lightly on the arm and smiled dreamily. "I nearly did, too – I don't think I've ever been this excited at a Quidditch match."

He remained quiet, but she could see in his black eyes that he wanted to tell her something interesting, and that he was waiting for her to finish her Quidditch monologue. With a slight smile, she asked, "So, how were the last two weeks of your holidays, Sev? You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"

He grinned and said, "No more than usual. But I do have something interesting to show you…"

He opened his trunk and pulled out an old, battered book. "'Advanced Potion-Making'," she read the title, before asking, "But – this isn't the book for fourth-year, Sev – is it? Did I miss something?"

"Don't panic, it's a sixth-year book," he said quickly, rolling his eyes, and she calmed down at once. "It was my Mum's – I got it for some background reading, to see if I could make any sense of it, and if I can brew any of these potions – I started reading it, but it's insanely complicated – take this first potion, for instance." He opened the book to age ten and continued, "This is the Draught of Living Death. It's a sleeping potion so powerful that someone under its influence sleeps like they're dead."

Lily shuddered slightly; she didn't like the sound of that potion at all. "What's in it?" she asked curiously. "Lots of things," replied Severus promptly. "Wormwood, asphodel – Valerian roots, which is a powerful sedative in itself."

Lily nodded, documenting the information. "Is there any antidote?" she asked, and he grinned. "Of course," he said, "The Wiggenwald Potion acts as an antidote – there's a pretty interesting story about it, actually. A children's story, of sorts…"

"Oooh, tell me," said Lily, a little excitedly, "I've never heard a Wizarding children's story!"

Shaking his head, he began, "Legend has it that in the medieval times, there was once an ugly hag who lived alone on the edge of a kingdom. She loved the handsome Prince who would one day be King, but his heart belonged to another – the fair Princess of the neighbouring kingdom. And so, the hag became jealous, and began to plot the Princess's doom."

Lily listened, fascinated, and Severus rolled his eyes before continuing.

"One night, the hag disguised herself and made her way to the Princess's palace. She managed to trick the Princess into pricking her finger on the spindle, which she'd spiked with the Draught of the Living Death. Immediately, the Princess fell into a deep sleep…"

Lily was startled. This story was beginning to sound familiar…

"The Prince, her betrothed, on hearing the news, began to make his way to the Princess's palace with a vial of the Wiggenwald Potion. He was a great wizard, this prince – good and kind, a favourite of his subjects. The hag set a number of obstacles in his path, and he overcame them all – but they slowed him down, and by the time he came to the Princess's palace, there she was, wide awake, waiting for him."

 _Well, this is new_ , thought Lily dryly. But this story was similar to the Sleeping Beauty… Too similar, in fact.

"Only it wasn't her," said Severus, clearly enjoying himself. "It was the hag – she'd disguised herself as the Princess using some Polyjuice Potion. She had the Prince to herself at last – or so she thought, for the Prince, sensing that something wasn't right, managed to Stun the hag and burst into the room where the Princess lay, sleeping."

"Let me guess," interrupted Lily, "He kissed her and she woke up, correct?"

"Well – almost," said Severus, sounding a little surprised. "He put some of the Wiggenwald Potion on his lips before kissing her, and that reversed the effects of the Draught of the Living Death. But by that time the hag, who had managed to free herself, confronted them in her true form. The Prince and the Princess fought her and managed to subdue her, before forcing her to take a swig of her own potion, leading her to fall into a deep sleep herself. And that was that – they lived happily ever after," he concluded. "Enjoyed it?" he added, a little sardonically.

"Yes, definitely," she said with feeling, "But there's a Muggle version of it, which is much more fanciful – with fairies, the Princess being raised in a forest, and the prince killing the wicked fairy in her dragon form by driving a sword into her heart."

"Yeah, that's the best way to kill a dragon," said Severus dryly, and she rolled her eyes and said, "It was a bit of a putdown, however, to learn that the true love's kiss was nothing more than a Wiggenwald Potion – which means that anyone could've woken her up had they used their brains."

"For the last time, it's a _children's story_ , Lil!" said Severus with a touch of exasperation.

"I know, I know," said Lily soothingly, looking out of the window. The sun had set and the sky was darkening rapidly. Looking at her watch, she said, "I should get going, Sev – I have to change, and all my stuff is in my trunk. I'll see you around!"

"See you around, Lily," he said, and there was a trace of sadness in his voice. She gave him a perfunctory hug before opening the compartment door and finding –

"Potter!" she exclaimed at the figure trying to skulk away unobtrusively. "What're you doing here?"

James Potter stopped and turned; the look on his face was a mixture of guilt and anger. "Er – looking for you," he said unconvincingly.

"That's funny, because I distinctly remember you walking away from me ten seconds ago," said Lily, her eyes narrowed. Behind her, the compartment door opened and Severus stepped out. "Potter!" he shouted, with venom in his voice, whipping out his wand at once. Ahead of her, Potter did the same thing.

"Now, now – no need of that!" she said loudly, stepping smartly between them. "Potter, just go away – come on, go!"

There was a long moment as Potter stared at Severus with a look of anger and hatred, before lowering his wand and shoving it in his pocket. "I guess I'll see you later, Evans," he said evenly, before stalking off.

"Git," Severus spat venomously. She sighed and said, "Come on, Sev – he's just an arrogant bully. He does have some redeeming qualities, though."

"I don't care – he's a bloody –"

"Enough," she said, and he shut up at once. "See you later, Severus," she added soothingly, and with a tiny wave at him, she began to walk back towards her compartment. She had a feeling that it was going to be a long year…

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	34. Chapter 33

Thanks for the review, Akanksha. I do understand your point, but let me point out here that the Hogwarts curriculum in Lily's day is pretty similar to Harry's, so that has to mirror the Harry Potter novels. But I do think the character development, interactions and all the adventures are original. Do you agree?

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-three. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Three**

 **Tryouts**

"What a feast!" Mary exclaimed, smacking her lips and wiping her mouth on her napkin. "I'm so full, I don't think I'm going to eat for the whole day tomorrow!"

"Ten Galleons says you will," said Liz promptly, and Mary rolled her eyes. "I was joking," she said, and Lily replied with a mock-thoughtful expression, "Wow, that never crossed my mind!" Liz and Marlene chortled and began to load jelly onto their plates.

Elsewhere, the Marauders seemed to be engrossed in another eating contest, with Remus refereeing – Lily watched with growing astonishment as they stuffed more and more mint humbugs (she shuddered slightly at the thought; for the life of her she couldn't figure out why there were mint humbugs at the start-of-term banquet) down their throats, as if it were their last meal. Peter seemed to be going strong while Potter and Black were showing signs of giving up; they manfully ploughed on with red faces and distasteful expressions as they tried to ignore the strong minty taste of their food.

"Pete wins," announced Remus after about ten minutes, "With thirty-seven! Sirius is second with thirty-five, and James is third with twenty-nine… So that's that! You two owe Pete five Galleons each!"

"Oh, come on!" Black exclaimed with frustration, "No fair – he's a bottomless pit!" Peter smiled and said, "I can eat more of those – no sweat!"

"You're such a glutton, Pete – _yech_!" said Potter, sticking his tongue out with a frown on his sweaty face. "I'd have wiped the floor with you if it was treacle tart!"

"No way," said Peter confidently, and Liz interjected, "He's right, you two – there's no way you can beat him, he's too good!"

"You mean too hungry," Lily said dryly, and Liz grinned and nodded in agreement. Peter went pink and said, "That's only partially true – I haven't eaten anything since I had cauldron cakes on the train!"

"That was only an hour ago, Pete!" exclaimed Black, and they all laughed.

"Makes your meek surrender all the more embarrassing, then," Peter shot back, a wickedly mischievous smile on his face. Black raised his arms in frustration and shook his head, defeated.

As the last signs of food disappeared, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome, everyone – to another year at Hogwarts!" he said cheerfully, as the Great Hall went silent. Dumbledore continued, "Now, for a few announcements – Mr Filch has asked me to tell you that the list of banned objects now also includes Flaming Bats and Ink Gloves. The full list consists of three-hundred-and-sixty-two objects, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office.

"As always – I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds – in spite of any adventures anyone may have had over there in recent times," he added, and Lily could've sworn that he looked sideways, directly at them, before continuing, "Furthermore, the village of Hogsmeade is out of bounds for anyone below third year, or anyone without the permission form."

Next to her, Peter yawned widely. His eyelids actually began to droop, before Remus elbowed him gently, and he sat up straight again, his eyes wide open. Lily giggled, and Liz shot her a look that clearly said, 'Shut up!' She quickly focused on the Headmaster.

"And last but not the least, we are pleased to welcome back Madam Hooch, who will be resuming her role as Flying instructor and Quidditch Cup referee, after a successful stint in the Quidditch League," Dumbledore said, and the entire Great Hall burst into cheers; Madam Hooch was clearly popular. She smiled and raised her hand in acknowledgement as the applause continued for a few seconds.

"Dumbledore isn't kidding – she led the Appleby Arrows to third place after the Wasps and Puddlemere – which means a chance for Champions League Qualification for the first time in five years!" said Marlene, rather reverently. "She's darn good… Wonder why she came back."

"I'll have to ask Mum – but my guess is overwork and the stress of the job," Liz said thoughtfully, as Dumbledore cleared his throat once again.

"Secondly, we have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year – please welcome Professor Tempest Malfoy!" he proclaimed, and there was a second or so of silence before a polite smattering of applause. A slight nod from Professor Malfoy was her only response to the clapping, which died down rather quickly. Marlene and Liz shared a significant look as both of them looked at the new teacher with narrowed eyes. Lily was confused, but she remained silent – Dumbledore was speaking again.

"And now, I think it's time to go to bed – in fact, Mr Pettigrew seems to have mistaken his plate for his pillow!" he added, amused; Lily quickly glanced at Peter, who seemed to be sound asleep, with his head on his (thankfully clean) plate. There was a ripple of laughter as students from all Houses tried to get a better look at him, until Remus elbowed him firmly once again and he sat up straight. Looking around him, he went red with embarrassment as most of the onlookers began to laugh. Dumbledore chuckled said, "No matter, Mr Pettigrew – maybe I should have made a few jokes to keep the attention of my audience. In fact, come to think of it, I heard one over the summer about –"

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"But maybe this isn't the time… Right, you lot, off to bed with you! Get a good night's sleep before you begin another year of magical education – chop chop!"

There was a great deal of scraping and banging as everyone noisily got to their feet, making their way towards their respective common rooms. She watched, amused, as Black and Remus helped a still-drowsy Peter to get to his feet, and began to drag him to the common room. "Wait – there's an easier way!" said Potter, and pointing his wand at Peter, he said, " _Mobilicorpus!_ "

At that, Peter soared about two feet into the air as though invisible strings were tied to his neck, wrists and knees; his feet dangled in the air, too. Potter laughed and said, "You bloody glutton, Pete – you owe me big, you do!"

"Good thinking, James!" said Black appreciatively, as Peter glided behind them, saying, "Hey – this is fun!"

"What a drama queen he is," said Liz, as the Marauders slowly began to walk towards Gryffindor tower, behind Mary and Marlene, who watched their curious procession with interest and laughter. " _Mobilicorpus_ is a spell used to move those who can't walk – not those who don't want to!"

"Well – to be fair, I'd be surprised if he _were_ able to walk after half a ton of food," said Lily, and Liz laughed. "What was all that about, though? You and Marlene and the new Professor?" she added curiously. Liz grimaced and said sarcastically, "I dunno – her _name_ , maybe? Malfoy?"

"So what?" said Lily, and Liz looked at her incredulously. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Liz – just because she's a Malfoy, doesn't mean she's a You-Know-Who supporter!"

"Oh, but it does!" countered Liz. "Well – at least, it's a distinct possibility – the fanatical pureblood families like Malfoy are anti-Muggle and anti-Muggleborn, so there's a chance that she could actually be a Death Eater! What's Dumbledore playing at?"

Lily snorted. "Listen to yourself, will you?" she said. "You're forming notions about her just based on her name – you don't even know what kind of a person she is, and you're judging her!"

"Pretty hypocritical of you to say that – especially after you do the same about Potter and Black!" Liz shot back, her sea-green eyes mischievous. Lily punched her lightly in the arm and said, "That's different – I know them enough to say that they're certified berks. But here – you don't even know the Professor. Maybe – she may turn out to be a good egg, after all."

Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Fat chance, Lily – mark my words, I'm sure she's going to be up to something shady! We should keep a watch on her."

"Yeah, just like we kept a watch on Madam Whitney – and look how that turned out," said Lily dryly as the Fat Lady came into sight. "Dumbledore never told us what she was doing, too – but it doesn't matter now, considering Madam Pomfrey is back this year."

"Yeah – sad about her father, though," said Liz, before turning to the Fat Lady and saying, " _Caput Draconis_." The portrait swung open, and they climbed into their large, circular common room. Waving to a few more of their Housemates, the two girls began to climb up the steps to their dormitory. Once she was settled into bed, Lily said, "Give her a chance – maybe she won't be who you think she is, Liz."

"We'll see," said Liz. "Goodnight, Lil – long day tomorrow, I'm guessing!"

"Goodnight," said Lily, and snuggled inside her blanket. She hoped that she wasn't wrong about Professor Malfoy…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Greenhouse Three – here we are," said Liz as they came up to their destination for their first Herbology lesson on Monday. They made their way into it, and Professor Sprout began the lesson by showing the class the ugliest plants Lily had ever seen.

"Are they plants or slugs?" she heard Black say from behind them, his voice laced with disgust. Lily felt that he had a point; after all, the plants looked more like thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid.

"Bubotubers," announced Professor Sprout. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus –"

"The _what_?" said Potter, revulsion on his face.

"Pus, Potter, pus," said Professor Sprout, "and it's extremely valuable – so don't you dare waste it, boy. You will collect the pus in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when concentrated, bubotuber pus."

"So – we just squeeze them?" asked Liz, looking at the bubotubers as if it were something disgusting stuck to a toilet. "Looks like it," said Mary. "I'll go first, shall I?" she added bravely, and they watched as with a look of trepidation on her face, she squeezed the bubotuber on the nearest plant. The swelling popped immediately, and a copious amount of thick, yellowish-green liquid came out of it, which smelt just like petrol. Marlene quickly caught it in a bottle as instructed.

"It's easy," said Mary, a satisfied smile on her face. Nodding, Lily took a deep breath, and proceeded to squeeze on of the bubotubers. It was disgusting, but oddly satisfying – Liz quickly held a bottle to collect the pus that was oozing out of the bubotuber. They took turns at the exercise, and by the end of the lesson, Lily estimated that they'd collected more than a gallon of the pus.

"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy," said Professor Sprout, stoppering a bottle with a cork. "Its best use is to get rid of stubborn forms of acne, but it has excellent healing powers –"

A strangled yell interrupted Professor Sprout. Startled, they all turned to see Peter Pettigrew dancing on the spot, clutching his left hand. "There was a hole in his glove!" Remus exclaimed with alarm as Peter continued to dance, screaming in agony. Professor Sprout hurried over to him, examined him, and said, "Take this – come on, now…" A second later, Peter stopped yelling. Shaking her head, Professor Sprout said, "Hospital Wing, Pettigrew – take him there, Potter. And Pettigrew, buy a new pair of gloves, lad." Potter placed an arm on Peter's shoulder, and began to shepherd him out of the Greenhouse.

"Ooh, I hope he'll be OK," said Mary, her eyes worried. "Don't worry – I'm sure he'll be fine," replied Liz reassuringly, as the bell rang to indicate the end of the class. They trooped over to the other side of the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. After an hour of revision about what they'd learnt over the past year, they made their way back to the castle for lunch.

That evening after dinner, she sat in the common room alone, trying to do her Divination homework. Liz and Marlene were out flying, presumably practising for Quidditch tryouts that would surely happen in the coming days, with half the team having passed out last year. Lily wanted to get an early start on her homework – predictions regarding how the planetary movements would affect their life in the following month. She wasn't really inclined to do it, considering the fact that it wasn't due for a week, but she figured that an early start with Divination would leave her with more time to do her homework for other subjects, ones she truly liked…

"Mind if I join you?"

She looked up at the familiar voice, and saw James Potter grinning at her, his hazel eyes twinkling. She raised her eyebrows and asked him, "Starting homework this early, Potter? I thought Remus was the studious one…"

"He's a bad influence," said Potter sardonically, and she snorted slightly. "Besides, I don't really like Divination – haven't got a clue as to what we're supposed to do. I saw that you're doing the same thing, and figured that I could do mine with you, then it won't be so boring…"

"Where are your other mates?" she asked him curiously. Indeed, it was surprising that he was alone – with no sarcastic and devilish Black next to him. He sighed and said, "Remus is with Pete in the Hospital Wing, giving him a lowdown of the day's lessons. Sirius – I have no clue where he is, actually, I've been looking for him for about fifteen minutes."

"He's probably out with Liz and Marlene," she said, "They're practising for the tryouts, see?"

"Oh!" he said, raising his eyebrows. "He didn't tell me – the idiot, I could've helped him!" he added, irritated.

"You could wait for him to return before you start your homework," suggested Lily, and he rolled his eyes. "If you don't want me here, just say it directly, Evans – instead of dancing around."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Nothing like that, you prat," she said to him firmly. "You're welcome to join me if you want to – but fair warning, I'm not much better at this than you are."

He smiled widely and said, "All right – let's see if we can tackle this together." He sat down and opened his copy of _Unfogging the Future_ , and began to scribble furiously on his parchment. Lily focused on her own book, and with a sinking feeling, began to do her calculations.

Fifteen minutes later, Potter looked up. "My answer to Tuesday is – fifteen-point-five, so does it mean I'll – er – lose something important?"

"I have no idea," she said, staring at her own calculations. "I tried using Mercury for Tuesday, since it's the most prominent then – but this can't be right, I'm getting my final answer as minus-two-point-seven! Aren't we supposed to get positive answers?"

"Er – are we?" Potter asked blankly, and she looked at him, irritated. "You're supposed to know this stuff, weren't you paying attention?" she asked him.

"Weren't you?" he countered, and she said testily, "I did, for most of the time, but I seem to have missed that –"

He sighed and said, "Give me your parchment, let me double-check your calculations."

She watched silently as he went over her work, until he looked up and said, "Nah, these seem fine, but the start itself is dicey – Jupiter's angle with the sun is eight-point-two degrees with respect to us, so shouldn't you take that instead of Mercury?"

"Eight-point-two?" she repeated, confused. "Mercury's angle was eight-point-one…" Consulting the book, she felt a jolt of realization… An ink mark from her quill had made the nine look like an eight. There was no getting around it – her starting point itself was wrong.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "Don't tell me I have to do the whole thing again!"

"Hey – it's OK, you can copy mine," said Potter soothingly. She looked at him angrily and said, "Can't, you prat, our birth dates are different! Oh, one stupid mistake…"

"Do it again, then," he said irritably, and she shot him a baleful look before resuming her calculations. After several minutes of racking her brains, she looked up to find him staring at her.

"What's the answer?" he asked immediately. "Twelve-point-nine," she replied, consulting _Unfogging the Future_ briskly. She opened the relevant page and scanned it before looking up in disgust. "According to this, I should have got – er, dragon pox," she said slowly. Potter looked at her seriously and said, "But – how? Dragon pox usually affects adults–"

"Yeah, you didn't let me finish," she cut across him, "According to this, I should've got dragon pox – fifteen years ago!"

He looked at her, his forehead creased in confusion. "But – you weren't even born then!" he said, scratching his head.

"Wow, you're making great use of your brain," she returned dryly. She glanced at her calculations again before leaning back against her chair, annoyed. "I have no idea what these even mean!" she burst out.

There was a pause, following which Potter said slowly, "Well – there is one thing that'll quicken this process…"

She sat up. "What is that?" she asked him eagerly. "Did you figure out the correct methodology in your calculations?"

"No, that's not what I meant, Evans," he said patiently. "I meant – let's do what we should've done an hour ago." He opened his book. "Right, my first prediction – Tuesday, I'll be – er, bitten by a rat." He wrote it busily on his parchment.

"Hang on," said Lily slowly, as realization hit her, "You didn't just make that up, did you?"

He looked at her, amused. "Well, unless I mentally did an hour's worth of calculations in ten seconds – which I didn't, in case you're wondering – you might say that I made that up."

Scandalized, she looked at him with narrowed eyes. How could he just make stuff up like that? "Are you daft? What if she catches you?"

"Look at it this way, Evans," he said, his eyes mischievous, "Divination is a very imprecise subject. Even McGonagall says so… Therefore, our predictions may be wrong, but at least we tried. That's why we're here, aren't we? To learn it!"

"But – but – making stuff up – isn't that cheating?" sputtered Lily.

"Unless you're copying someone else's work, I don't think so," said Potter, "Besides, how do you think I passed the subject last year? I know it's a boring subject and I shouldn't have taken it, but now that I have, I'm going to do the best I can… And if making it up is the best I can do, then so be it!"

She couldn't believe it; his logic was ironclad. "But then – what about all these calculations?" she asked him uncertainly. He shrugged and asked her, "D'you know what they mean? You saw what result you got when you followed the correct method, right?"

He had a point. There was nothing wrong with her procedure, but the result was nonsensical – which left her only one choice. She sighed and said, "You have a point there, Potter… I guess I'm going to – er, follow your – erm, approach."

He looked shocked for a second, before his face split into a lopsided grin. "Who would've imagined… Goody-Two-Shoes, Lily Evans – making up an assignment –"

"Shut up," she said, a blush spreading over her cheeks, "If there were another way, I'd take it, but since there isn't…"

"Hear, hear!" he said enthusiastically. "Now, for Wednesday –" he consulted the book, "I'll – er, lose a duel."

She looked at him uncertainly once again. Dare she make up a prediction, on a whim? She decided that she would. "OK – on Tuesday, I'll have an – er, an allergic reaction to food. Mushrooms, to be precise. How's that?" she added, looking at him. He grinned appreciatively and said, "Hey – now you're talking! How about – Thursday, I suffer from, er, insomnia?" He made a note.

"Not bad," she said, "I think – for Wednesday and Thursday, I'll have severe stomach ache, no doubt from the mushrooms I ate."

"Good thinking," he agreed. "Friday – er, I'll fall off a broomstick. We have practice then, and I want to try out the Speelman Steal!"

"Wow, that's a really tough move!" she replied, marvelling at his confidence. "Er – maybe I'll lose money in a bet on Friday. Yes, definitely that," she added, making a note.

"Yeah, you'd have bet that I'll be able to pull off the Steal successfully," he deadpanned, and she laughed in spite of herself. He really wasn't so bad – _just a tad fatheaded_ , she thought. They sat there, working, until the rest of their friends showed up, having gone straight to dinner after their practice.

"Hey, look – do mine eyes deceive me, or is that Evans and James?" a loud voice called, and Lily looked up to see Sirius Black heading towards them, his mouth wide open. Liz and Marlene followed him, wearing identical expressions of surprise on their faces.

"We were both doing Divination, but it was hard work – so we – er, joined forces," she said, and Potter laughed. Then his expression turned serious. "You wanker – why didn't you tell me you were going to practise flying? I could've helped you!" he berated Black, who held up his hands apologetically. "Sorry, mate," he replied, "I didn't want you to see me try out with the Quaffle, OK? I'm a Beater, and I'm a rubbish Chaser – come on, I'd have been embarrassed if you'd seen me today!"

"He's right – he caught the Quaffle about ten times out of fifty passes," supplied Marlene helpfully. Potter snorted and said, "We'll have to work on that," he said firmly.

Liz, meanwhile, was bending over Lily's work. Raising her eyebrows, she said, "I didn't think you needed help with your homework, Lil –"

She rolled her eyes and dangled the parchment with unintelligible calculations right in front of Liz's face. "What do you understand from this?" she asked, and Liz shrugged. "I dunno – I'm not taking that stupid subject, so I wouldn't know, would I?"

"Exactly," said Lily, "But the funny thing is – I am taking that subject, and yet – I'm in the same boat as you!"

Liz let out a hoot of laughter, but Marlene looked serious. "Is it that hard, then?" she asked apprehensively.

With a half-glance at Potter, Lily replied, "Well – not if you know an unorthodox methodology." Potter laughed loudly at that, and Black gave an appreciative grin. "Caught on to Divination – have you, Evans? Took you long enough!"

"Wait – what do you mean? What unorthodox technique –" Her eyes widened with realization. "You're making it up? Blimey, Lil – I understand if these two prats do it, but you, too?"

"Who are you, and what have you done to my friend Lily?" Liz asked her, grinning cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes once again. "I tried doing it the proper way – but, surprise, surprise, it didn't work. And so, Potter here –" she glanced at him again, "—came to the rescue. Incidentally, how long have you been doing this, Potter?"

His eyes glinted with mischief as he said, "Ever since I can remember, Evans! Fab and Gid told me that it was the best way, after I was struggling with the palmistry assignment last year… And they were right!"

"Show me your predictions!" Marlene exclaimed, and grabbed Lily's parchment. Black and Liz read over her shoulder, and the three of them grew more and more amused as they scanned the list. "Burns on next Monday, nice!" said Marlene appreciatively. "We're doing bubotubers again in Herbology –"

"Smelly hands, James – why is that?" asked Black, now glancing at Potter's list and looking confused. Potter grinned wickedly and said, "Well – it may involve throwing a few Dungbombs at –" But the rest of his sentence was drowned out by a great shout of laughter from Black. Lily felt apprehensive; she had a nasty feeling about who the victim of that prank might be.

"What's with all the bad things on this list, Lil?" asked Liz.

"Oh, I just don't think I'll be having a good month," Lily said dryly, and Liz nodded and laughed. "Well – you're forewarned of it, at any rate," she said, and Lily grinned before turning to Potter. "Thanks for your help, Potter," she said, and he smiled and winked at her. "No problem, Evans – perhaps we could do the next one together, too!"

"I hope not," she said wryly. "I've already made up one assignment, and that's one more than I'm comfortable with…" They all laughed at that.

"Well, see you later, boys," said Liz, and with a wave to them, she began to lead the way to the dormitories. Lily and Marlene followed after saying bye; Lily was surprised at her lack of guilt for fabricating an entire assignment. She was sure that she wouldn't have dared to do it before, but then again, she had tried to do it the right way – and failed. _Maybe, if Marlene or Mary do it properly, I'll take their help_ , she thought firmly. _Yes, that's what I'll do…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first week passed quickly, as Lily settled into her routine once again. Professor Slughorn had greeted her genially as usual, and he'd even asked about her summer. She liked the old man, and it helped that she aced most of her Potions classes. She was excited when Professor Slughorn announced that they would be brewing a number of complicated potions that year, starting with antidotes to a few common poisons. She could see that it was a handy skill to be able to brew an antidote…

In Transfiguration, they had begun with an introduction to a Cross-Species Switching Spell; she noted with a sinking feeling that it was going to be hard work. In Charms, they began with the Mending Charm (" _Reparo!_ "), something which she had been able to perform by the end of the lesson (well, her broken glass had broken within two seconds of reassembly, but at least it had reassembled, which was more than what could be said for the rest of the class). In Arithmancy, she felt much more at home; Professor Scalar, their serious, bearded teacher, made the subject as interesting as the Quidditch World Cup final she'd gone to during the summer.

She had also had her first Defence class with Professor Malfoy, and by the end of it, she'd started to feel that Liz's fears about their new teacher weren't unfounded. While taking attendance, the teacher had carefully noted everyone's names, but her eyes had lingered upon Lily for a fraction of a second longer than everyone else. Lily had felt extremely uncomfortable with the look in the teacher's grey eyes; it was a searching, cold kind of look. She wasn't sure if it meant that the teacher was prejudiced against Muggleborns, or something else entirely…

A grumpy voice broke into her thoughts.

"No point – I want to be a Beater; why should I even try out for Keeper?" Sirius Black was saying irritably. Lily looked behind to see Liz snort softly and say, "Because, you moron – it's better to be on the team than not at all! You can try for Chaser or Seeker too, while you're at it!"

They were all headed to the Quidditch pitch, for the Gryffindor team tryouts. With four people having passed out last year, there were vacancies on the team for two Chasers, the Keeper, and the Seeker, too. Gideon was the new Captain, and he'd scheduled the tryouts on the first weekend of term itself. He seems to be very prompt, thought Lily as they walked – Liz was going to try out for Chaser as well as Seeker, whichever would get her in the team; Marlene was going to do the same, too. As for Black, he was slightly put out with the prospect of having to wait another year for his favoured Beater position… He was being persuaded to try out for Keeper by Liz and Marlene, but it didn't look like they were making any progress.

"I thought you were trying for Seeker, Hunt?" Black said with an impish smile. "Wouldn't want me to ruin your chances, now – would you?"

Liz snorted again, a little derisively this time. "Oh, please – I could catch the Snitch even before you could say, 'Liz Huntington'," she said, sticking out her tongue at him. Lily gave a tinkling laugh, and Marlene echoed her. Black, however, remained unfazed. "Is that a challenge, Hunt?" he asked her, facing her squarely with a gleam in his eyes.

Liz wasn't one to back down, though. "Not for me, certainly," she retorted sardonically, and Black flushed slightly. Lily laughed again; Liz had the uncanny ability to shut annoying characters like Black up with minimal effort.

They came up to the pitch, and Lily turned to Liz, saying, "Well, good luck, you all – I know you're going to be in the team today!" She hugged Liz and Marlene, and even gave a thumbs-up to Black, who nodded to her, his face set in a determined sort of way. "You decided what you're going to try out for, Black?" she asked, and he shrugged. "Doesn't make a big difference to me this year, Evans – so I'll try out for the position with least competition." She nodded in understanding, his logic was airtight if he wanted to get in the team one way or the other. She gave them one final wave before setting off to take a seat in the stands.

"Hey – over here, Lily!" a voice called, and she turned in its direction with surprise; it was Jane Carter, sitting by herself near the centre of the pitch. _Why was Jane calling me?_ she wondered, but nevertheless, with Remus, Peter and Mary still presumably at breakfast, no one else looked familiar – and in any case, most of their House (she counted nearly fifty people) was on the pitch, anyway, standing in lines for their trials.

"Hello," she said politely to Jane, who shifted over slightly to make some room for her. Sitting down, she asked, "You're not trying out?"

"Nah, I'm not that good at flying," said Jane, shaking her head. "Mark is, though – he wants to be Keeper, but he himself says that his chances aren't too high, and he's just trying out for the sake of it."

Laughing, Lily asked, "If he doesn't want to be in the team, why is he trying out at all?"

Jane smiled and shook her head. "Search me! Well, it's not like he doesn't want to be on the team, he just thinks he isn't good enough – there's a difference, see? But he said it's an issue of pride or something – his Dad was in the team as well, during his school days… So Mark wants to follow in Mr Gilchrist's footsteps."

Lily nodded in understanding at this monologue. She realized that this was the first time in a few months that she'd chatted with Jane for more than a few minutes; of course, they shared the same dormitory, and exchanged pleasantries every time they saw each other, but Lily couldn't really say that Jane was her friend. An acquaintance, yes – friend, not really… She and Mark kept mostly to themselves, and didn't really mix with the rest of them.

"Oh, look – they're starting!" Jane said, pointing at the pitch. Lily saw Gideon Prewett kick off from the ground, and begin to direct the hopefuls. It looked like he was making them fly a few rounds of the pitch in groups of five, which proved to be a good call; the third and fourth groups mostly consisted of first-years, who barely completed one round before sinking earthwards rather dramatically – but Fabian was on hand to help them out. Jane giggled as one of the first-year girls hugged Fabian for dear life as he helped her off her broom, lifting her bodily in the process. "They've barely flown once before, and they want to try out for the team!" she said derisively. "Well – Gryffindors aren't really known for not being reckless, are they?" Lily replied, and Jane let out a shout of laughter. "Good one!" she said appreciatively, her honey-brown eyes alight with humour. Lily grinned back at her.

After half an hour, the number of hopefuls had dwindled down to about thirty. The Chasers began their trial first, and Gideon kept goal as each of them attempted to get past him, with Potter directing them. Lily watched with relief as Liz, Marlene and Black all scored – within minutes, the number had gone down from twenty-odd to five, with Liz, Marlene and Black all making the cut. "I wonder how they're going to decide the best Chasers – we don't have a Keeper, either!" Jane said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry – Gideon will have something in mind," a familiar voice said, and Mary came and sat next to her, followed by Peter and Remus. "'Morning," she said brightly. Lily smiled back at Mary and said, "You took your own sweet time."

"We would've come sooner – but someone –" she glanced at Peter, who blushed, "—woke up late, and we had to wait for him to finish breakfast!"

"Oh, come on – it's Saturday, for heaven's sake!" Peter whined. "What were they thinking, beginning tryouts at eight in the morning?"

"I think the more important question is, how did Marlene wake up at six o' clock on Saturday, all by herself?" said Lily, with a mock-thoughtful expression. Jane and Mary laughed, familiar with Marlene's dislike of waking up early. "That reminds me, Lily – as part of our deal, we're going to play Wizard's Chess today!" said Peter, looking at her expectantly. She smiled and said, "Yes, I remember, Peter – and I think I'm going to beat you this time!"

"We'll see about that," he said, but his watery-blue eyes were eager. "I learnt a few tricks from my grandmother over the summer –"

"Like I said, Gideon has a plan," interrupted Remus, and they quickly looked at the pitch. It looked like Gideon was having Potter fly alongside the prospective Chasers, giving them all sorts of complicated passes; Marlene and Liz did fairly well, but Black kept missing the Quaffle. To Lily's chagrin, the seventh-year and eternal reserve Amy Blythe caught all of James's passes, even when he (deliberately, she thought) reserved his most difficult moves for her. _She really seems determined to make it this year_ , thought Lily.

Finally, Gideon had the Chasers try and dodge a few Bludgers that he and Fabian aimed at them; Black did best in this case, dodging all Bludgers with ease. Lily winced as a Bludger hit Liz over the shoulder, but she did well to shake it off immediately.

"So who's in?" asked Peter, as all five of the Chasers returned to the ground after Gid and Fab had spoken to them. Remus shrugged and said, "Maybe they'll evaluate everyone after the tryout."

It was now time for the Keepers; there were only six people trying out for that position. Fabian sat alone in the sidelines as Potter squared off against each Keeper hopeful, attempting to score against them. Jane watched, disheartened, as Mark saved only two penalties out of five; clearly, that wasn't going to be good enough. Black saved three, but there was a fifth-year called Adam Wright who saved four out of five – Lily was sure that Wright would be the new Keeper.

Finally, it was time for the Seeker tryout. Fabian released the Snitch as the five Seeker hopefuls (Liz and Marlene included) kicked off from the ground in search of it; she cheered with elation as within two minutes, Liz rushed to the ground, triumphantly clutching the Snitch in her hand. _She's done it!_ thought Lily, ecstatic. _She's made the team – she's Seeker!_

"Come on – tryouts are over, let's find out who made it!" said Mary, and together, the five of them jogged towards the huddle of prospective Quidditch players, two of whom were hugging each other and crying. "Blimey, they're not taking it very well," Peter commented, looking at the distraught girls. "Imagine that you lost an eating contest, Pete," said Remus, and a look of shock appeared on Peter's face. "Or a chess match," added Lily, giggling, and Peter looked abashed. "All right, I get your point," he agreed.

"Hey, Mark," Jane greeted him. "It's OK – maybe you can try out next year."

"Nah, I'm actually relieved that I failed," said Mark, shaking his head. "No pressure – besides, I can tell dad that I tried…" Jane nodded sympathetically and gave him a hug.

Lily and the others walked up to where Gideon was standing with a piece of parchment in his hands. "All right – here's the final team!" he announced. "Chasers – Potter, obviously, along with – Marlene McKinnon and Amy Blythe!"

"Yes – I made it!" exclaimed Marlene ecstatically, and Mary immediately hugged her best friend. As she congratulated Marlene, Lily noticed a cheerful and relieved Amy Blythe; she also noted that Potter didn't look too pleased about it.

"The Keeper – Adam Wright!" Gideon continued, and Wright just smiled and exchanged an overhead clap with two other Gryffindors.

"And finally, the Seeker – who caught the Snitch in record time, I may add – Elizabeth Huntington!" Gideon said brightly, and Lily squealed and immediately pulled Liz in a great hug. "You made it," she whispered in her friend's ear, "I knew you would!"

"Thanks, Lil," she whispered back. "I'm so happy – I'm in!"

Lily drew back and beamed. "Yeah, you are!" she exclaimed.

"Well done, all of you!" said Fabian, grinning around at them all. Lily glanced at Potter, who seemed to be comforting a moody-looking Black. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him; she knew that he wanted to play, too – but he wouldn't have got to play in his preferred Beater position, anyway. Potter seemed to be telling him exactly that.

"Practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at six o'clock in the evening, and three o'clock in the afternoon on Saturdays. That'll be all, thank you for coming!" Gideon concluded, and they all began to walk back to the Great Hall for lunch, with Liz talking excitedly, describing the exact way she had dived to see and capture the Snitch. Lily grinned as she listened; she was going to miss sitting with Liz during Quidditch matches – but then again, Liz would be the one winning matches for them. It was so cool!

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	35. Chapter 34

Thanks for the reviews Anna and Tyler'sPrincess. You guys rule!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Four**

" **Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"**

"I wonder what she'll teach today," said Liz as they walked briskly towards their DADA classroom.

"Well – I doubt you'll have to wait for too long to find out," Lily commented dryly, and Liz rolled her eyes. Lily continued, "I just hope she isn't creepy like the last class – I mean, the way she looked at me, my neck hairs were standing up!" She shuddered slightly, and Liz patted her arm.

"Her surname's _Malfoy_ , Lil – what else did you expect?" asked her best friend. "I mean, I don't want to say 'I told you so', but – I told you so!" she added sardonically.

"She just _looked_ at me, Liz – as far as I know, she hasn't really done anything as such except stare a little weirdly," Lily pacified.

"Hmm – like you pointed out so helpfully, it won't be long before we find out if she does anything," Liz said grimly as they entered the classroom. There was a great deal of noise, with Potter and Black being particularly boisterous as Remus looked on, a slight smile on his face. Lily spotted Peter, whose expression was one of intense admiration as Black spoke to them.

"OI, Black! You conquer the world or something?" Liz hollered, and Lily chuckled. Black looked at them and yelled back, "Not quite, Hunt – but something even better!" Scrutinizing their confused expressions, he proclaimed proudly, "I snogged Karen Norton this morning – and what's more, she's going to go out with me on the first Hogsmeade weekend!" He puffed out his chest, and Potter and the others laughed.

 _Goodness_ , thought Lily, _he couldn't have been more arrogant about a – a_ date _, of all things_. _Really, did he have to broadcast it like that?_ Lily couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Karen, whom she liked, though they hadn't spoken too many times.

Beside her, Liz made a face and said, "Ugh, that's too much information, Black! Anyway – good for you!"

"Who are you going with, Hunt? Got yourself a date, too?" Black shouted back, a little challengingly. Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Who needs a date, when you've got your best mate?" She put her arm around Lily's shoulder as she spoke, and Lily grinned, too. "You know that's right!" she said, her smile wide. Black rolled his eyes, but before he could retort, their teacher walked into the class. The Gryffindors hurriedly sat down at their desks and looked up attentively.

Professor Malfoy casually ran a hand through her white-blonde hair, and tucked it behind her ear. "Well – today, we're going to embark upon an unusual curriculum," she began, her voice soft. "I know that we spent the last class revising your basic spells and jinxes, but this year – this year, I shall be teaching you the basics of duelling. That's right – we will be learning some good defensive and offensive spells, along with some spells that haven't been taught at Hogwarts before – so, really, it's going to be very interesting."

Lily and Liz looked at each other, excited. Whatever Lily's misgivings, the teacher seemed to be off to an encouraging start.

"Ideally, the starting point should be a nice defensive spell – take the Shield Charm, for instance – but it requires an advanced degree of magic than an offensive spell, like a Stunning Spell, for example. Offensive spells are usually easier to learn than defensive spells, you see? And so – today, we're going to start off with what are known as Elemental Spells."

The class was listening with rapt attention; one could've heard a pin drop.

"As you know, there are five elements – earth, air, fire, water and light. The Elemental Spells consist of four broad types – you might want to write this down…" There was a sudden scraping of quills on parchment. "Four main types," the professor continued, "Spurt, Cutter, Wave, and Shield. Each of them has a purpose – simply remember the four D's, in that order: Distract, Damage, Devastate, and Defend. Of these, the Shield is the most complex, and incredibly difficult to master – most witches and wizards choose to skip in altogether, instead relying on offensive spells and quick reflexes while duelling. We won't be doing the Shield."

Lily felt relieved; the Elemental Shield sounded intimidating.

"Instead, we'll be focusing on the other three types. However – before we begin, you must know the Elemental Pentagon…" She paused briefly before continuing, "Every element has its strengths and weaknesses – against one another, that is – now, draw this," she added, and drew a pentagon on the blackboard. She wrote the name of an element near every vertex, and joined all vertices with the others.

"Now – this is how it works," she said. "Fire beats air – because air just strengthens it. Air beats water because it can penetrate it – you know, just go through it. Water beats earth – it can just erode the ground – the force of water can even break mountains, see? Then – earth beats light because it's opaque – and light beats air, once again due to penetration. Do you understand all that?"

The class nodded; most people were engaged in furiously noting down this new information. Professor Malfoy continued in her soft voice. "Air beats earth – once more due to erosion. Earth beats fire – earth and water are two things that can put out fire. Fire beats light because light can do nothing to it. Light beats water because – would anyone like to guess? What do you think, Miss Evans?" The teacher asked her, her grey eyes boring into Lily's own.

Lily forced herself to not get intimidated, and answered bravely, "Er – penetration, right?"

There was a second's pause, following which Professor Malfoy nodded imperiously and said, "Yes – that's right, girl. Penetration…"

Liz gave her an approving smile, and she felt heartened; but she wished that she'd been awarded points for correctly answering the teacher's question. Then again, it was too much to hope for from a teacher whose last name was Malfoy…

"And lastly, water beats fire," the teacher concluded. As soon as everyone had finished writing, she spoke again. "Finally – every element has what is called a category. The category of each element determines what kind of Elemental Spells are the most effective. In that sense – Fire and Earth fall in the Offensive category, while Air and Light are Defensive elements. Water, on the other hand, is unique – it functions well offensively as well as defensively, but its spells are the hardest to master. This doesn't mean that water is the best element – its offensive spells aren't as effective as fire or earth, and its defensive spells aren't as effective as Air and Light. But water has the most balance – with enough practice, you can turn it into a powerful weapon, which works well for either purpose. Right, then – let's start off with the Spurt, whose purpose is to distract your opponent."

She paused, and everyone waited in anticipation.

"The Elemental Spurt – manifests itself in different forms, based on the element. It is a small blip of energy – whatever the element, its form is different. For fire, it's a fireball. For water, it's a rain-like shower – for air, it is a gust of wind. Then there's a barrage of stones for earth – and lastly, a bright, blinding luminescence – for light."

"Er – Professor?" Liz said, raising her hand. Professor Malfoy nodded to her, and Liz asked, "Er – if there's only a rain-like shower for water, it won't really be very good offensively, would it? I mean – getting burnt or hit by stones – or even blinded, for that matter – is harder to recover from than getting wet, right?"

A small smile appeared on Professor Malfoy's face. "Very astute, Miss Huntington – you're absolutely right. But while the Water Spurt may not be as powerful as the others, the other attacking spells for water are – lethal." Liz nodded and sat down, a glow on her face.

"Let me see – how about I demonstrate the non-lethal Elemental Spurts? From what I see here –" she consulted the register with everyone's test scores of the previous three years "—Mr Potter, Miss Huntington, and Miss Evans – are the best at this subject in this class. So – how about you three come up here, and we will demonstrate…"

A feeling of trepidation on her face, Lily walked up slowly to the front of the class. She didn't know what spell she would be asked to demonstrate, but she had a feeling that it would be the hardest one…

"Right, this here is the Light Spurt – also known as the Light Intensifying Spell," said Professor Malfoy. At that, Lily looked at her, her eyebrows raised. _Wait a second_ , she thought… _The Light Intensifying Spell is an Elemental Spurt?_

Pointing her wand at Potter, the professor said, " _Lumos Intensum!_ "

Instinctively, Lily closed her eyes, and opened them only after five seconds. It looked like Liz and Potter had done the same, but the rest of the class – except Black, who grinned at her – had their eyes shut tight, and looked in great discomfort.

"Handy little spell, this," said Professor Malfoy, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Useful to make a quick getaway – though, you don't seem to be affected at all, Potter – shut your eyes, did you?"

Potter nodded, and Professor Malfoy's smirk widened. "That means you didn't do it the first time it was used on you," she said, a little cuttingly, and Potter stole a glance at Lily, flushing a little. She looked back at him smugly.

"Well – come now, everyone – pay attention. The Air Spurt – _Ventus!_ " she exclaimed, pointing her wand at Liz, whose hair blew back at once. Liz almost fell back at the force of the gust of wind, but kept her footing – albeit with a little difficulty. Lily smiled slightly; she knew this spell, too. Perhaps the Elemental Spurts wouldn't be too hard to master…

Professor Malfoy smirked again and said, "That's not the easiest of spells to counter – buys you enough time to Disapparate while your opponent struggles to regain his balance." She turned to Lily and said, "And finally – the Water Spurt. _Pluvius!_ "

Before she knew it, she was drenched from head to toe in cold water. She jumped back, squinting – but the shower stopped just as suddenly as it had started. Professor Malfoy looked at her, amused, before saying to the class, "This spell serves as a nice little distraction. Drench your opponent with water – then run away before he can recover. Like I said, some distractions work better than others – a fireball or a stone barrage is a lot harder to ward off, for instance."

Lily quickly dried herself with a Drying Spell, and Professor Malfoy looked at her and said, "A Drying Spell, eh? Just as I thought – a quick-witted one, aren't you? You will be a difficult opponent."

Lily went pink; had the teacher just paid her a compliment?

"Right, that will be all for today. Next class onwards, we will be working to master all five Elemental Spurts. For homework, I want a detailed essay on Elemental Spurts – their incantations, effects, and possible ways to defend against them. Class dismissed."

They all filed out of the classroom, talking excitedly. Potter and Black seemed inclined to make fun of her for getting drenched, but Marlene said, "That was quick work, Lily – using a Drying Spell immediately after she sprayed you with water was good thinking." Lily smiled her thanks at the compliment.

Turning to Liz, she said, "She did have an unusual amount of fun while drenching me – but she seems to know her stuff, doesn't she?"

Liz smirked and said, "I said she was biased – I didn't say she was stupid, did I?" Lily laughed at that. "Well – I'm all for giving her the benefit of the doubt. She may be a little biased, but at least she wasn't unfair… Though it's a bit of a shame that she demonstrated the Light Intensifying spell, now it won't be unique to us!"

Liz grinned and put a comforting arm around her shoulder and said, "Well – don't worry about it. We vowed to master the Disillusionment Charm this year, right? Last we practised, we made a table translucent, so there is hope!"

Lily felt her spirits rise. "Yup – it's a spell taught in sixth year – so if we master it now, we'll be at an advantage!"

"And we'll be able to spy on unscrupulous characters – which we seem to do all the time!" Liz exclaimed with mock thoughtfulness, and Lily chuckled. "We really do, don't we?" she said. "Well – let's hope this year's quieter."

 _But then again_ , she thought as they walked towards the common room, _that never happens, does it?_

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In no time at all, the Elemental Spurt Spells quickly became a new source of fun and entertainment, particularly the Water Spurt. People kept getting drenched by water showers while walking along corridors in between classes, during mealtimes, and on a couple of occasions, even _during_ classes – the miscreants in question had been given detentions, but the spell remained popular.

It was the Friday before the Hogsmeade weekend in October when Lily and Liz had been victims of the Water Spurt during Transfiguration; a shower of water had landed neatly over their parchment and quills as they took down notes, with the perpetrator being (to no one's surprise) Sirius Black. Lily had immediately dried herself and Liz, but her best friend had retaliated with a Water Spurt of her own, hitting Black squarely in the face, and managing to drench even Potter in the process, who had promptly blown a powerful gust of wind that had ended up, most unfortunately, blowing away Professor McGonagall's pointed hat. After telling them off, the irate teacher had awarded separate detentions on Sunday to Potter, Black and Liz, who hadn't been amused.

"We should get that idiot back for that stupid stunt," she said decisively as they walked back to the common room, with Lily torn between sympathy towards Liz, and amused with the entire episode. At Liz's statement, she grinned. "I'm listening," she said.

"There's got to be something –" but she stopped talking suddenly, coming to a halt next to an empty classroom. Well, almost empty – as Lily peeked inside, she saw what Liz had already noted; it was Sirius Black, and he was kissing a blonde girl whom Lily recognized as Karen Norton. Neither of them seemed to be particularly aware of their surroundings.

"Well," whispered Liz, a wicked grin on her face. "It's time for some karma, isn't it?"

"What's the plan?" Lily asked. She wasn't particularly inclined to disturb them, but the opportunity was too perfect to miss, and besides, they owed Black for his earlier tomfoolery.

"Can you do a Colouring Charm on moving targets?" Liz asked her. She paused, considering; finally, she nodded. "I think so," she said, and Liz nodded appreciatively. "On the count of three, then – when I send the water shower, you colour it with whichever colour you want – your choice. He drenched us with water, so coloured water is a step up!"

Lily giggled, and Liz nudged her. "Shhhh!" she said urgently, and Lily clamped her hand over her mouth. "I doubt if they'll notice," she said dryly, but Liz shook her head. "Don't want to take chances," she whispered. She raised her wand and said, "On three, then – one – two – three!"

A shower of raindrops shot out of Liz's wand, and Lily whispered, " _Farbus!_ " She concentrated hard on a bright red colour, and was rewarded when Black suddenly recoiled, with his robes and hair suddenly resembling open flames. Biting back a laugh, Liz whispered, "Quick – skedaddle!" They ran hard, without looking back, and stopped only when the portrait hole came into view. They then proceeded to laugh for a full five minutes, barely standing up and clutching each other for support.

"You saw his hair, didn't you? It was redder than a beetroot – nicely done!" Liz exclaimed, wiping tears of laughter as they entered their common room. Immediately, Potter stood in front of them, his usual lopsided grin on his face. "Evans," he said confidently, "Could I have a word – er, outside?"

Nonplussed, she said, "All right – but what's this about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," he said cryptically, and began to walk towards the portrait hole. She exchanged a confused look with Liz, who smiled mysteriously and said, "Well, go on, then – I'll wait by the fire."

There was something odd about Liz's expression, but her eyes gave nothing away as she turned around and began to walk away. Shaking her head, she followed Potter outside the common room, where he stood waiting for her a small way down the corridor.

"Well, Potter?" she asked him as she walked up to him.

His grin remained on his face as he said, "So – tomorrow's the first Hogsmeade weekend."

"I know," she said, confused. "I saw the timetable…"

"D'you – d'you have any plans to go with anyone?" he asked her, and she was surprised with the change in his expression – he suddenly looked a lot less sure of himself.

"Er – I'm probably going with Liz," she replied awkwardly. She had a feeling that that wasn't what Potter meant.

His brow cleared immediately, and he asked her with a lot more confidence, "So – I was thinking – would you like to go with me?"

Caught off-guard, she only opened her mouth and closed it like a fish. Had he just done – what she thought he'd done? Had he just asked her out on a date? Well, it was the first time someone had asked her out on a date, so she didn't exactly have anything to compare this with – she decided to do the next best thing. She began to intently observe him… She was rewarded as she saw a tiny blush on his face, and that beneath the cockiness, his hazel eyes betrayed uncertainty and nervousness.

"Er – are you asking me out on a date, Potter?" she asked awkwardly, wanting to confirm it. Why did she have to go red now? _Why?_

"Well – I suppose I am," he said, smirking.

She couldn't, for the life of her, fathom why Potter would ask her out. _I mean, for one thing, we're not even friends,_ she thought. _Then – we don't exactly agree on anything. In fact, we have contrasting opinions on one of the most important people in my life – Severus. So, why is he doing this?_

"Er – why?" she asked him awkwardly.

Confusion flashed in his eyes, but it was momentary. "Er – to have fun?" he suggested.

"You don't exactly need me to have fun," she replied, her tone dry.

He sighed. "If you don't want to go out with me, just say so," he said irritably.

"Er – I –" she sputtered, unable to articulate what she felt.

"It's fine, it's fine – don't worry about it. I'll see you around, Evans," he said, holding up his hands. He made as if to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. There was one thing she wanted to know.

Looking directly into his eyes, she asked, "People usually ask other people out on dates when they fancy someone, Potter – so, is this what it is?"

She knew that she was making him uncomfortable, but she was nearly as discomfited as he was. His blush deepened a little, but he said, "Maybe – maybe not. But why do you care? You already said no."

"I didn't," she said shortly, and to her chagrin, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. His grin returning, he said, "So – you're saying yes?"

"No," she said firmly. "No, I'm not going to go out with you, Potter – because you are a total beast to one of my best friends, and I find that a good enough reason to turn down somebody. Incidentally, how did you ever think I'd say yes to you? We're not even friends!"

Shock registered on his face, but he rallied soon enough. "Fine – a no it is, then. All right – one of these days you're going to go out with me, Evans. Mark my words – I'll make a yes out of that no some day!"

"I doubt it," she said sardonically, but he just gave her an arrogant smirk. "See you later," he said, and without another word, he turned around, and began to walk away in the opposite direction, straight-backed and rigid-shouldered. She shook her head again and walked back towards the portrait hole. As soon as she entered the common room, however, Liz hurriedly bounded over to her.

"So? What did you say?" her best friend asked her immediately, her face alight with anticipation.

"Wait – you knew?" she asked Liz, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Liz looked at her a little guiltily but still said, her chin high, "Well – who do you think pushed him to do it?"

"Traitor," she hissed, annoyed; she began to hurry towards their dormitories, her mind spinning. Why had Liz thought that her going on a date with – with _James Potter_ , of all people – would be a good idea?

"Hey – wait, Lily," came Liz's voice from right behind her; her best friend had caught up with her a lot quicker than she'd thought. _Damn her Quidditch training_ , thought Lily as she climbed the spiral staircase at top speed; Liz was keeping pace with her quite easily. They entered their dormitory, which was mercifully empty, and Lily stopped. Her eyes narrowed, she turned around and faced Liz squarely. Her face flushed with the effort, she said heatedly, "Why? Why would you think that it was a good idea if he asked me out on a date?"

"Er – he likes you, Lil – so I just told him to – er, go for it," replied Liz, looking uncomfortable. "I swear, that's all I did – I asked him if he had a date for tomorrow, you know – like his best mate Black, that is – and he said that he'd like to go out with you, and if I thought it was a good idea to ask you out on a date – so I said that the only way to find that out is to actually ask you, and see what happens!" she added earnestly.

"And you told him this – despite knowing what a git he is to Sev?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. Liz flushed and said, "Well – if you ask me, the kind of relationship two people have needn't really be influenced by a third party – so I didn't really think it mattered –"

"It matters," snapped Lily angrily. "It matters because he's horrible to one of my best friends, Liz – so if you think I'd even consider –"

"It was _one date_ , Lily," said Liz impatiently. "It's not like he asked you to marry him – so what's the harm in going out on one date?"

"Because it would be a complete betrayal to Severus!" she exclaimed, her temper rising. "Imagine this – consider a bloke _you_ can't stand, not at all – then consider me going out with him – how would that make _you_ feel, Liz?"

Liz took a deep breath and said, "It wouldn't matter to me, Lily – because if you like this particular bloke, I think I can live with that. It's your choice, after all. My feelings towards this bloke shouldn't influence your decision."

"Yeah, well – it would still be like a slap in the face for you, wouldn't it?" Lily said, frowning. "I can't do that to Sev – and besides, why would I want to go out with Potter? He's a pretentious, obnoxious, show-off – I can't even stand him!"

"Ahh, that explains it – when you were doing your Divination homework with him on the first day back, he had you tied up to your chair!" Liz retorted, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"He came and sat there!"

"You didn't tell him to sod off, did you?"

"I didn't want to be rude!"

"Then don't say that you can't stand him – because just so that you don't come off as rude, you tolerated him well enough!"

"That's different! That was homework!"

"Say what you will, Lily," said Liz with forced calmness, "But it appears to me that your dislike of James is heavily influenced by Snape's own hatred of him."

"No, it isn't!" Lily fired back. "And who asked you to butt in?"

She had touched a nerve. Liz smiled at her scornfully and shook her head. "Well, too bad," said her best friend, her tone cutting, "Because it looks like you're going to Hogsmeade with your precious Sev, after all." With that parting shot, her best friend stalked out of their dormitory, slamming the door shut behind her.

Lily sat down on her bed, still angry. _Who does she think she is, to make judgements about Severus? That was out of line_ , she thought. _I'll show her… Who needs her?_ She took in a deep breath and thought carefully. _Maybe I will go with Severus, she thought. It'll be fun to go to Hogsmeade with him for the first time…_

Lily shook her head. Only an hour ago, she and Liz had got back at Black with a highly amusing retaliatory prank. And now, her best friend wasn't speaking to her. How things had changed at the drop of a hat…

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Dinner was an awkward affair that night. Not only was Lily having to deal with Liz ignoring her completely, but with her having turned Potter down, the Marauders too seemed to be disregarding her, though Remus and Peter did acknowledge her greeting. She was disappointed, and feeling a little ashamed for lashing out at Liz, but her anger hadn't abated yet, so she resigned herself to eating dinner in silence. This lasted for all but ten minutes as Mary came and sat with her, and engaged her in small talk. Lily noticed Marlene and Liz talking a little distance away, and immediately understood; Marlene and Mary had figured out that they'd had a fight, and were trying to make sure that they didn't eat alone. She felt happy and grateful with her friends' thoughtfulness.

She waved goodbye to Mary after dinner; she was going to meet Severus in the library later. She frowned as she walked… She and Liz fought very rarely, and when they did, it was usually on just two touchy topics… Severus and Potter. She tried to be objective… True, Severus detested Potter, and it would be obvious to even Peter Pettigrew that the feeling was mutual. Potter never wasted a chance to bully Severus – usually accompanied by Black, and occasionally Remus and Peter, too… She felt a twinge of anger towards Remus, too; he was the most sensible of all four Marauders, so shouldn't he do something to stop the others from being such bullies?

Then there was the question of Liz being friends with Potter and Black, too. She tried to look at it from Liz's point of view… Liz was a pureblood, which undoubtedly meant that she had inherited an anti-Slytherin prejudice. Lily felt a nasty pang of guilt… Despite her bias, Liz tolerated Severus as much as she could, for her and her sake only. She tried, at least, only for her, Lily… And in contrast, Lily couldn't stand Potter, who just happened to be a friend of Liz's. Granted, they too tolerated each other at times, but Lily had a very low opinion of Potter, mainly because of his bullying nature. But she didn't have to be vicious with Liz… It wasn't Liz's fault that Potter rubbed her the wrong way…

A rather incredulous thought occurred to her. What if it had been the other way around? What if, Severus had been the one to have a crush on Liz? What would she have done then? Regardless of Liz's feelings towards Sev (she did tolerate him, after all), wouldn't she have encouraged Severus to ask out her best friend? Of course, she would have…

She sighed. She shouldn't have shouted at Liz for encouraging Potter to ask her out. She was being hypocritical… Liz had only done what a normal person would do, and she had yelled at her best friend for it… She felt ashamed of herself. Also, what more had Liz said? She'd said that Lily's 'hatred' for Potter was mainly due to Severus… Well, that part wasn't true, at least. She didn't _hate_ Potter… _I mean, I think he's obnoxious, but he isn't a bad person per se… Just fat-headed…_

"You're late," said Severus as she entered the library and made straight for his table. "Sorry, _Professor_ Snape," she said dryly, and he rolled his eyes. "Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "You're usually punctual."

"I know," she said, "I was just thinking, that's all…"

"About what?"

"Nothing in particular," she said evasively. She wasn't sure if she should tell him about Potter… He was very likely to blow his top.

"C'mon, you can tell me," he prodded.

She hesitated, then decided to go with the truth. Best get it over with, she thought. "Well – Potter asked me out on a date for tomorrow."

"WHAT?" he yelled, his face red; startled, she drew back into her chair quickly. In a flash, Madam Pince, the unpleasant librarian, was next to their table. "The library is not a place for dramatic proclamations," she told them loftily. "Either be quiet or get out."

"Sorry, Madam Pince – won't happen again, will it, Sev?" she said apologetically, glaring at Severus as she spoke. Madam Pince nodded sceptically and walked back to her desk without giving them a second glance.

"Calm down," she said to Severus. "I didn't say I'm going, did I? I turned him down," she replied with dignity. She could see his features relax visibly.

"Oh," he said, "OK…"

"I wouldn't go out with him even if you promised me free ice cream for a month," she said, and that brought a smile to his face. "Stupid blighter, thinking he could go out with you," he said scathingly. "The nerve – why would you even say yes to him? I wouldn't have let you –"

" _Let me?_ " she repeated, her eyebrows raised. "You don't own me, Severus. I can go out with whoever I want."

He stiffened before smiling nervously. "Er – of course… I didn't mean it like that – sorry," he added. She nodded at him, mollified. She was thinking about something else, though… Would Liz agree to go with her to Hogsmeade tomorrow, especially after their quarrel, even if she apologized to her later tonight? Or should she ask Severus if he'd like to hang out with her? She decided against it. She didn't want to go with him if it could mean more trouble for him, with them being from rival Houses, after all…

"Well – who are you going with?" she asked him instead. As an afterthought, she teased, "Got a date?"

"What? No!" he replied, a little flustered, and she laughed. He continued, his cheeks a little red, "I'm going with the others – Mulciber and company…"

She nodded, noting that he didn't seem too happy about it. "I'll see you there, then?" she inquired. She could see hesitation in his eyes before he smiled unconvincingly. "Sure," he said. She was confused, what was on his mind? But if he'd rather hang around with his friends, she couldn't stop him… Though in that case she wouldn't be too inclined to meet him. His friends always gave her a sinister, baleful kind of vibe…

They spent the next hour on their Herbology essay, before saying goodbye and heading off to their respective common rooms. As soon as Lily entered the Gryffindor common room, she spotted Liz sitting with – she frowned – Potter. Her best friend seemed to be engaged in deep conversation. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way to the pair of them, coming to a halt next to Liz. "Er – Liz, can I talk to you?" she said awkwardly. "In private?" she added, looking at Potter, who grinned at her. Well, he seemed to be dealing with his rejection well…

Liz stood up and said, "OK." They went to one of the windows, and Lily looked directly into Liz's sea-green eyes. "I'm sorry," she said firmly. "I shouldn't have shouted at you… You were just doing what any normal person would've done… I'm sorry, OK?"

To her relief, Liz's features relaxed immediately. "It's no problem," she replied. "And I'm sorry too – I shouldn't have got all judgemental – I mean, that's the sort of thing you do, right?" she added wickedly, and Lily punched her lightly on the arm in return. "Very funny," she said sarcastically. Glancing over to where Potter was sitting, she commented, "Well, Potter seems to be fine…"

"Aw, worried 'bout ickle Potter, are we?" Liz said, grinning mischievously. Lily snorted and said, "Not at all – but he seems to be taking it in stride."

"Too right he is," said Liz. "In fact, he's got a date for tomorrow, as well… D'you know Rachel Burke? Third-year Hufflepuff, copper-coloured hair, blue eyes, really pretty?"

"I might've seen her around once or twice," said Lily thoughtfully. "Wow, Potter sure moves fast!"

"You didn't really expect him to sit around moping after you, did you?" Liz asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"What? No! 'Course not!" said Lily quickly. But there was a tiny part of her which was a little disappointed that Potter had moved on so quickly… Aloud, she said, "I'm glad he's found someone he wants to go with, good for him. Now, on to more important matters," she said briskly, "What time d'you want to go tomorrow?"

"Er – yeah. About that…" Liz replied awkwardly, and blushed. Lily couldn't understand why, unless –

"You have a date, too?" she practically shrieked in excitement.

"Thanks for the broadcast," Liz said, rolling her eyes. Lily looked around, and sure enough, there were a few people looking at them. Her eyes searched for those she knew, and she found Potter and Black smiling widely at her. _Great_ , she thought… _Those berks are going to tease Liz for this…_

"Sorry," she apologised. "But – who? Who is it?"

"Er," said Liz, her blush deepening, "D'you know – er, Kevin Bell? Tall fifth-year from Ravenclaw, brown hair, dark eyes, really – I mean, _really_ handsome?"

"Oohh, _someone_ fancies the tall, handsome Ravenclaw!" teased Lily. It was one of the rare moments when Liz couldn't muster any sort of comeback, for she simply blushed and looked away.

"When did he ask you?" said Lily, wanting to know more.

"Er – right after dinner," said Liz, determinedly not making eye contact. "He said – well, he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him tomorrow… Oh, gosh, _his eyes_ , Lily! His eyes are irresistible! I didn't see a problem with saying yes – even though I don't know much about him, I planned to find out stuff about him by the next day… That way, even if I didn't like what I found, I will use the date to gauge him myself, and decide. No need to be rash by saying no, is there?"

"Very well-thought out, your reasoning is," said Lily, smiling at Liz. "So did you find out anything about him?"

"All I had to do was ask Jane," Liz said mischievously, and Lily laughed; it was well-known that Jane knew all the latest gossip around Hogwarts. "From what I heard, Kevin is a likeable personality – so, no regrets saying yes!"

"Quick work," said Lily appreciatively.

"Jane looked odd, though," said Liz thoughtfully. "I dunno what _that_ was all about – she looked distracted, even a little sad – I guess I should've asked her, but I didn't…" Facing Lily, she said, "Will you be OK, going on your own tomorrow? I mean – sorry – I know we were going to go, but this was a little sudden –"

"Don't worry about it, you idiot," said Lily, rolling her eyes. "I could go with Remus – and Peter – or maybe run into someone else I know tomorrow – I could even go with Jane and find out why she looks – er, sad," she added as an afterthought.

"You can do that – if you like being a third wheel, that is," said Liz, smirking. "In fact, you could even be a third wheel on my date, if you fancy it so much…"

"Funny," Lily said in a bored voice. Liz laughed and said, "All right – let's go to bed, then. Big day tomorrow!"

"Yeah – for sure!" agreed Lily. "Tell me about it later!"

"Of course," said Liz, and with a wave to the Marauders, they began to make their way to their dormitories. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

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"Knight to e4," said Lily, and watched her Knight move reluctantly on the chessboard. Peter smiled and said confidently, "Nice try, Lily – but you're only delaying the inevitable."

"Well, I've been doing that for the last half an hour, so I'd say I'm doing a fine job, then," Lily said with good humour, and Remus laughed. "Fair point," conceded Peter. "But you're going to lose in a few minutes!"

They were sitting at a corner table in the Three Broomsticks. Lily had accosted Peter and Remus before leaving, and the former had immediately run back to fetch his chessboard. So far, Lily was having a good time with them, as Remus watched their game quietly, at times merely raising his eyebrows as he tried to work out why that move had been played. Lily even saw Fabian Prewett sitting in a corner rather cosily with a blonde girl she didn't know; she quickly averted her eyes as Fabian leaned forward to kiss his date. Black and Liz sat a few tables away with their respective dates, but Potter was nowhere to be seen.

"A galleon says I can still force a draw," said Lily to Peter, sounding a lot more confident than she felt. A sudden thought came to her. "And if I can – you give me two galleons, because admittedly, a loss is likelier than a draw at this stage, isn't it?"

Peter frowned thoughtfully, before saying, "Fine – you're on. You're going to lose your galleon, though…"

Lily marvelled at Peter's self-assurance. The fat boy may lack confidence when it came to schoolwork, and she knew that he could be thick at times – but when it came to Wizard's Chess, Peter was the boss, and he knew it.

Ten minutes later, Remus said, "He's won, Lily – come on, it's hopeless."

Much as she'd have liked to disagree, she knew that he was right. Peter was going to queen his pawn – and she couldn't stop it. Shaking her head, she said, "Well – all right, then. Well played, Peter." She held out her hand, and the fat boy shook it, saying, "Your bet was pointless in the first place, Lily – from your position, there could've been no draw. I knew you'd already lost when I made the bet!"

"But – what was the fun, then?" Lily asked, confused. Peter laughed and said, "I'm not stupid, you know – I make bets only when I'm absolutely sure of winning!"

"Yeah – because that's what 'bet' or 'wager' means," said Lily dryly. Remus laughed and said, "That's why he only bets during Chess or eating contests." Lily chuckled, and Peter went pink.

"Anyway – we're going to Zonko's, Lily – d'you want to come with?" Remus added to her.

She considered it for a minute, and said, "All right – if you don't mind me tagging along, that is."

"If I minded, I wouldn't have asked," Remus said, and she grinned at him. He frowned thoughtfully and said, "Hang on – actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" she asked him inquiringly.

There was a short pause, following which Remus said awkwardly, "I hope you don't mind me asking, Lily – why did you say no to James?"

She must've glared at Remus, for he instinctively drew back and raised his hands apologetically. "Hey, hey – sorry I asked, you don't have to –"

"It's OK," she said, and he looked relieved. She paused, her brow furrowed… How exactly should she tell him her reasons for turning Potter down, without insulting the arrogant berk? She took in a deep breath and began, "Well, you see –"

But at that moment, someone tapped her on her shoulder. She wheeled around to find out that, to her pleasant surprise, it was Severus.

"Er – Lily, can I have a word? Outside?" he said, looking only at her, and ignoring Remus and Peter completely.

"Er – OK," said Lily, and he nodded; he walked out of the pub without a backwards glance. Lily stood up, a little mystified; why did he look so peculiar? Turning to Remus and Peter, she said, "I'll see you later – in Zonko's?"

"Sure – we were just leaving," said Remus, and he got up; Peter imitated him. Together, they walked out of the Three Broomsticks, but not before Lily had smiled teasingly at Liz; her best friend blushed immediately, and told her with her eyes to beat it.

Outside, Lily spied Severus standing across the street. Remus and Peter nodded to her, and began walking towards their destination as she crossed over to Severus.

"What is it, Sev?" she asked him.

"Er – I had a couple of questions about my – er, Charms essay," he replied. "I'm not getting the hang of the Summoning Charm – and as to the object, does it disappear and magically reappear next to us, or it just flies to us all the way?"

"Hmm, let's see," she said thoughtfully. "When you summon something, it just flies to you –"

"Showing off, Mudblood?"

Lily wheeled around to find Mulciber and Avery. "What's it to you, dolt?" she fired back at him. She absolutely hated the sight of him.

He glared at her and whipped out his wand. "Shut up," he said menacingly, just as she took out her own wand, too. "You're not magic – so go back to where you came from!"

"Oh, really? Then why don't you put your wand where your mouth is?" she said challengingly, raising her wand higher still. Adrenaline pounded in her ears. "Go on – or are you scared?"

"Of a Muggle? Not at all!" he said derisively.

"Hey, come on – no need of –" Severus began, but Mulciber cut him off. "No one asked you, Severus – so stay out of this." Avery simply stood next to Mulciber, looking bored.

"Go on, then," challenged Lily. "If you dare…"

"You speak too much, Mudblood!" he spat. " _Stupefy!_ "

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	36. Chapter 35

Thanks for the reviews, Tyler'sPrincess and harrypotterfan. You guys are awesome!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Five**

" **This is going to get ugly."**

Lily dived aside to avoid the jet of red light. Balancing herself again, she yelled, " _Expelliarmus!_ "

Mulciber dodged the Disarming Charm. "Pathetic, Mudblood, you're going to have to do better than that!" he taunted, before yelling, " _Magnaurus!_ "

Lily screamed as the hex hit her full in the face. She could feel her ears becoming bigger; panicking, she felt her right ear, which was now bigger than her head. "Oh, look – the elephant-eared Mudblood!" Mulciber sneered, and she could see Avery cackling next to him.

"What did you do that for, Mulciber?" Severus yelled from next to her. "Take the curse off her!"

But now, Avery had drawn his wand, too. "Ha ha – take this, Mudblood! Ictus!"

She screamed again as the Stinging Hex hit her. She could feel her face swelling up; she could barely see. Tears forming in her eyes, she focused on Mulciber, who was laughing and saying, "Nice one, mate!"

"Lily – you OK?" Severus was asking her, his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, come on – leave her alone!" he yelled at Mulciber and Avery, who seemed in no mood to heed to his words.

"Shut up, Snape – whose side are you on, anyway?" Mulciber shouted at him. "You should be joining us!"

"Don't you have better things to do than hex other people?" Severus shouted angrily, but they only laughed at him. "Come on, mate – this is fun!" Avery said gleefully.

That did it – her rage exploded. She hadn't known that she was capable of that kind of anger. Raising her wand, she yelled, " _Lumos Intensum!_ "

The familiar flash of blinding light was enough to distract them, and seizing the opportunity, she screamed, " _Globus Ignis!_ " It was the incantation of the Fire Spurt spell that she remembered from one of their DADA homework assignments. Professor Malfoy hadn't allowed them to try it in class, citing the fact that it was a lot more dangerous than the other Elemental Spurt spells. Immediately after casting it for the first time, she understood why.

"My robes!" yelled Mulciber as his robes caught fire. In a panic, he threw himself on the ground and began to roll and thrash desperately, trying to put out the flames. Avery gnashed his teeth and raised his wand; pointing it at her, he yelled, " _Pulsum!_ " The Pushing Jinx threw her off balance, and she fell to her knees – defenceless, she prepared herself for his next jinx.

"Lil – no!" Severus yelled, and tried to help her up; at that very moment, she heard a familiar voice yell, " _Stupefy!_ " She looked up and squinted just enough to see Avery crumple to the ground, next to the still-rolling Mulciber. Shrugging off Severus's helping hand, she staggered to her feet and looked around to see her saviour – to her astonishment, it was none other than James Potter, running as fast as he could; there was a pretty girl with reddish-brown hair right at his heels.

"Get away from her!" Potter yelled, pointing his wand at Severus, who seemed to be frozen. "You have two seconds to go and help your filthy little friends – or else you're going to join them on the ground! Think fast, Snivellus!"

"No way!" Severus yelled, and whipped out his wand. "I'm not going anywhere!"

But he didn't get very far. "Wrong choice, dolt," Potter sneered, before yelling, " _Vespertilio Spiritum!_ " Severus screamed in pain as several bat-like bogeys attacked him, all over his face. He took a step back, tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground.

"Severus!" she shouted just as Potter came up to her. "You OK?" he asked her, a little harshly.

"You moron – why did you hex Sev?" she snapped at him, and even through her rather limited eyesight, she could tell that he was taken aback. "What do you mean – they were all attacking you, weren't they?" he asked her, his voice rough.

"No! Severus was on my side, idiot!" she shouted.

To her surprise, Potter ignored her. Turning around, he said, "I'm sorry, Rachel – but Lily here needs my help. Could you – please – call someone – a sixth- or seventh- year, perhaps, to take these scum –" she shuddered as she heard the contempt in his voice, "—to the Hospital Wing? I promise that I'll be back as soon as possible."

The girl must have obeyed, because a second later, Lily heard hurried footsteps moving away from them. Potter helped her to her feet. "Come on – we're going to the Hospital Wing," he said. Not exactly in a state to resist, she sighed and let herself be shepherded along the street. They walked back together, with Potter guiding her occasionally – she refused his support, however, preferring to walk on her own instead.

"You shouldn't have attacked Sev," she blurted out as they entered the Hogwarts grounds.

"Oh, yeah?" he countered, and though she couldn't see his face, she heard the derision in his voice. "From where I was standing, Evans, it looked like those slimy Slytherins had you outnumbered three to one! How was I supposed to know whose side who was on?"

"Because he's my friend!" she yelled, and let out an exclamation as her face burnt with pain.

"Is it hurting?" Potter asked her with concern.

"No, I _like_ having this overblown face," she replied tetchily, before forcing herself to think straight. As much as she hated the fact that Potter had jinxed Severus, he _had_ helped her out – and by the looks of it, he'd even cut his date short – just to take her to the Hospital Wing. She felt ashamed at once – here he was, trying to help her, and her attitude wasn't helping at all.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's just that – well, my face hurts, my ears are huge, and – I just got attacked for, well – for my parentage." Tears she'd been holding back filled her eyes as she spoke. Why were people so cruel as to insult her parents?

"If it's any consolation, Evans," began Potter, and she turned to face him; despite her poor eyesight she could still make out the twinkle in his eyes. "You're loads better at magic than any Slytherin pureblood I've ever seen," he added.

She snorted and said, "That's not saying much, Potter – considering that they're dunderheads in the first place." But she felt a faint blush on her cheeks as she spoke; Potter had just paid her a sincere compliment.

Potter chuckled. "As much as it pains me to admit, Evans – that's only true for the gits in our year. The older Slytherins are pretty good at magic – Dark Magic, in fact," he added ominously.

"How did you find me?" she asked him.

"Well – you weren't really too difficult to find, considering that you were in an alley just off the Main Street," he replied dryly, and she smiled faintly. "Rachel and I – we were just walking for lunch towards the Three Broomsticks when I saw you go down –"

"How did you know it was me?" she interrupted curiously. He grinned.

"You're not exactly hard to make out at a distance, Evans – your hair may not glow in the dark, but in the sunlight – well, that's another story!" he said light-heartedly. "Anyway – I immediately rushed over to help – though I must say, you were doing quite well on your own!"

She rolled her eyes; it was difficult, considering that any movement of her face caused her pain. Ignoring her uselessly-flapping ears, she said, "I got hit and went down, didn't I?"

"Yeah – but you used a spell we haven't been taught, Evans," he said, a little proudly. "That fireball – it was incredible! I've tried doing that but I've had trouble creating a fireball bigger than my palm – but that one, that one was _enormous_! It burnt through Mulciber's robes like they were –"

"Parchment?" she suggested with amusement.

"I was going to go with firewood – but sure, parchment it is," he returned, laughing. She felt herself smiling, too – his laughter was infectious.

She fell silent, pensive. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she'd turned him down, saying a few nasty things in the process… Oh, they were true, but that didn't make them any less nasty. And yet, he'd come to her aid at once. Well, he _had_ hexed Severus in the process, infuriating her – but here he was, helping her out, conversing with her normally… She shook her head slightly. Her anger with him hexing Sev had almost evaporated – but that was mainly because while Severus had tried to stop his friends from attacking her, he hadn't raised his wand to defend her…

And Potter had…

"Here we are," Potter announced, and they entered the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey took one look at her and said with concern, "Stinging Hex – and what's that, an Ear Enlargement Hex? Miss Evans – it's a wonder you're up and walking about so calmly!" She put Lily into bed at once, and performed the counter-curses; within five minutes, her face returned to its normal state.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," she smiled at the Matron, who nodded solemnly. Potter, who had been waiting near the entrance, grinned at her cockily. "Wow – you looked prettier with the big elephant ears!"

She narrowed her eyes at him with mock anger and said, "Watch it, Potter – or Mulciber wouldn't be the only one who ends up with a burnt backside!" Potter gave a hoot of laughter at that as they walked out of the Hospital Wing together.

Not particularly inclined to go back to Hogsmeade, she asked him, "D'you want to go for lunch, Potter?"

The lopsided grin was back as he said, "Well, if you're asking me out after that heroic rescue, couldn't you just have said 'yes' yesterday and made this a lot easier?"

She smacked him on the head and he exclaimed, "Ouch!"

"I meant the Great Hall, you prat!" she said with a touch of asperity. Rubbing his head, he grinned and said, "I'm heading back to Hogsmeade – Rachel's there, waiting for me."

"Right," she said, a little awkwardly. "Er – thanks, Potter," she added gratefully, and his grin grew wider. "Anytime, Evans," he said, mock-bowing to her before beginning to walk away. Just before turning the corner, however, he stopped. Facing her, he said, "You might want to ask your 'friend' – _why_ he didn't step in to help you during that little skirmish. He says he's got a problem with two against one – but he didn't do anything about it when you were in his situation, did he? The hypocrite!"

Irritated, she said, "That's none of your business, Potter – I do plan to speak to him, but what we talk about isn't your concern." He shrugged and gave her a sardonic wave before turning the corner and disappearing.

She walked slowly towards the Great Hall for lunch, her mind in a whirl. The last hour had shown her the side of James Potter who had defended her against Bellatrix Lestrange – more than two years ago. As he had demonstrated to her time and again, he had his moments of chivalry, nobility and honour. She shook her head… Though she'd known him for three years, she felt that she was nowhere close to figuring out the enigma that was James Potter.

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"Why, that no good pile of Doxy droppings! How dare he!" Liz growled, her eyes so narrow that they were sea-green slits.

"Calm down, Liz – the important thing is, I'm OK now!" Lily assured her best friend. "I mean, it wasn't pleasant when I got hit by that Stinging Hex, but I'm happy to say that I caused as much – possibly more – pain than I endured." She looked at the Slytherin table as she spoke with a self-satisfied smirk on her face, and Liz followed her gaze and smirked, too; it was curiously gratifying to see Mulciber lower himself gingerly as he took a seat at the table.

Liz laughed and said, "Yeah, that's true – but you got a detention for fighting back!"

"He did, too – for attacking me," Lily pointed out. "McGonagall wasn't pleased – she lectured me on how I shouldn't try to hurt others, even while duelling, and how defensive spells were the key to win a duel – but I could swear that she looked a little proud, and as it is, I only got lines! Besides, as far as I'm concerned – if I'm getting a detention for defending myself whilst burning that bloody bullfrog's bum – I'd say it was worth it!" Liz burst out into laughter once again, stopping only after she got a stitch in her side.

"By the way, that's a nice tongue twister," her best friend said, trying to catch her breath, "Try saying it ten times faster! Burning that bloody bullfrog's bum!"

"What was that? Who burnt whose bum, now?"

Lily wheeled around to see Marlene and Mary standing behind them, wearing expressions of surprise on their visages. Liz broke out into helpless laughter once again as Lily relayed the afternoon's events to the others; within minutes, all four girls were crying tears of mirth. Her friends talked about their day as they had dinner.

After dinner, as they began to make their way back to the common room, Liz took Lily aside and said, "So, James helped you, eh?"

Lily blushed a little at her friend's teasing tone. "Yes – he did, but – come on, Liz, anyone would have done the same thing!" she replied. "Those imbeciles attacked me for no reason – and I held on for as long as I could, but they were too much for me. And – it was nice of Potter to help out."

Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Fascinating, but that's not what I meant. Lil – the bloke ditched his date for you! He could've just left you there, found a prefect or someone to take you back to Hogwarts, and gone on with his day – but nay, he _had_ to be the white knight – taking you to the Hospital Wing! I'm telling you, that bloke – he fancies you!"

Lily blushed even further, but rallied almost immediately. "Then explain to me – why did he decline to join me for lunch, preferring instead to go back to his date? He could've just stayed, couldn't he? Ha!" she added triumphantly. " _That's_ got you stumped!"

"Well," said Liz, considering, as they entered the common room. "Look at it this way, Lily – he may fancy you, but he didn't want to leave his date in the lurch – incidentally, did he tell her that he'd be back as soon as possible?"

"He did, yeah," said Lily, remembering. Liz smirked and said, "There you go – that's why he went back! If he hadn't said he'd be back, he wouldn't have given two hoots about his date – but since he did say that, he had to be true to his word. I'm _telling_ you – it's easy to understand him."

"Easy for _you_ ," muttered Lily as they entered the dormitory. Liz proceeded to give her a detailed account of her date, and Lily noted her friend's blush as she talked about how Kevin had kissed her before asking her for a second date, which she had agreed to. After teasing Liz mercilessly, Lily finally bade goodnight to her before settling into bed. It had certainly been a full day.

The next morning, Lily and Liz arrived late for breakfast, only to find the Marauders in a heated discussion of some sort. Well, it was only Black and Peter – Remus and Potter were sitting silently, looking amused.

"Come on, just do it, Pete!" Black was saying as they sat down. Peter shook his head and said, "I told you – not my problem! Do it yourself!"

"I said I'd buy you twenty Chocoballs, didn't I?"

"So what? It's _your_ mess, you clean it up – and twenty, don't make me laugh! That's not enough anyway!"

"OK, OK, fine – thirty?"

Lily could see a bit of hesitation in Peter's eyes as he said with less certainty, "No, Sirius – she's your problem!"

"She?" interrupted Lily, raising her eyebrows. Black looked at her in surprise; it was as if he'd just realized that they were sitting there.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Liz asked them. "What've you lot done now?"

"Not us – just Sirius here," said Potter, a little indignantly. Turning to her, he asked, with a twinkle in his eyes, "'Morning, Evans – sleep well? Elephant ears would've given a good cushioning effect, you know – you should've tried them out for a day or two before deciding whether to keep them!"

Lily rolled her eyes; if he was going to mock her all the time, she probably would've been better off without his help. She simply stuck out her tongue at him before asking Black, "So who is this 'she', Black?"

"The Minister for Magic – Eugenia Jenkins," Black replied sarcastically, and Potter laughed. She frowned and looked inquiringly at Peter instead.

"He's – we're – talking about Karen – Karen Norton," said Peter, a little nervously.

"So what about Karen?" Liz asked him. He shifted uncomfortably and said, "Well – Sirius didn't really enjoy his date yesterday, so – he wants to, well, end things with her. But he wants _me_ to do it!"

"And why is that?" Liz asked Black. "Don't want to break her heart, do we? My, my – looks like you have a heart, too, Black!" she added mischievously.

"Or, he's just too cowardly to do it on his own," said Lily thoughtfully. Looking at him, she asked, "Well – are you?"

"Er," said Black uncomfortably, "Well – not _cowardly_ – but come on, if I say that to her now, she'll cry and argue and become all – I don't know, emotional? And who wants that? Nah, it's better if Peter splits up with her on my behalf. Less of a blow – she'll be OK, too," he added as an afterthought.

"I was wrong," said Liz to Lily. "He doesn't have a heart."

Lily laughed and said dryly, "Wow – apparently all those who dwell in Gryffindor _aren't_ brave. Surprising, isn't it? You sure this is the right House for you, Black?"

"Not your business!" Black said, his face a little red. Turning to Peter, he said, "Look, Pete – how about fifty Chocoballs and I do your Transfiguration homework for a week?"

Peter considered. "Well – make that Herbology – and two weeks." Black groaned, and Peter grinned, knowing that he'd won. "It's that or no deal," he said triumphantly.

"Fine – you fat crook, you drive a hard bargain. Deal," said Black with resignation, and the two shook hands. Peter grinned widely, got up and began to walk towards the Hufflepuff table, where Karen and her friends were having breakfast.

"This is going to get ugly," Potter said, as they all watched with trepidation. It was all over quickly, though; within ten seconds, Karen got up, and threw her pumpkin juice in Peter's face. He staggered backwards in shock, and Karen shot a look of pure fury in their direction before storming off, her friends staring at her, frozen. Potter and Black began to laugh, while Remus, too, looked almost reluctantly amused.

"Oooh, that's rough," said Liz, cringing slightly. She proceeded to smack Black in the head before saying, "Moron – why don't you grow a spine instead of having Peter do your dirty work?"

But Black was laughing. "See? A clean split – no fuss, no tears! It was good while it lasted – but I got bored of snogging her, to be honest."

"You're such a pig," said Lily, and Black rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well, mark my words, Evans – splitting up with someone isn't an easy thing to do. There's no good way – so, rather Pete than me! Besides – he seems to be better at it!" He snickered as Peter returned to them, his eyes narrowed and his face wet from the pumpkin juice.

"I _knew_ I should've asked for more than two weeks of homework," he muttered, sitting down and wiping his face with a napkin amid his friends' laughter. Shaking her head, Lily returned to her food, only to find an owl sitting near her plate patiently.

"Hello," she said to it, "You have a letter for me?" The owl hooted and stuck out its leg, and she detached the envelope attached to it, confused; who would be writing to her? She saw the name on the envelope and her heart began to race immediately. It was a letter from Hans – the handsome boy she'd met at the Quidditch World Cup. She quickly stuffed it out of sight, unnoticed by anyone except for Liz, who raised her eyebrows but gave no other sign of being surprised. Lily nodded at her reassuringly to indicate that all was well.

After breakfast, she raced to her dormitory (with Liz right at her heels) and tore open the envelope to find a small scroll. She unrolled it and began to read Hans's neat handwriting.

 _Dear Lily,_

 _I hope it isn't too presumptuous of me to send you a letter. I did have your full name to go on, so all I had to do was to send this owl to Hogwarts and hope it found you!_

 _That final, though – brilliant game, eh? I was absolutely gutted when Diane missed that fifth penalty – she of all people didn't deserve to miss it. It's a cruel sport, Quidditch is! You got the better of us that time – but next time, we're going to win!_

 _How have you been? It was a shame that we didn't get to chat too much when we met in France, but it was nice meeting you, if only briefly. I hope we can stay in touch! You can write to me at the address on the envelope._

 _My best to your friends, and I hope you'll write to me soon. Have a good term!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Hans Neumann_

Lily looked up to find Liz looking at her with a teasing smile on her face. "Oooh, you're blushing!" her best friend exclaimed excitedly.

"I am not," said Lily firmly, but Liz simply snorted. "Have you looked in the mirror?" she asked sceptically, and Lily proceeded to do that at once – to realize that Liz was indeed right.

"So, are you going to write back?" prodded Liz.

"Maybe," said Lily mischievously, but still blushing. Liz laughed and said, "You'd better. Make a pen-friend out of him!"

"Yeah, that's the plan!" agreed Lily; it wouldn't hurt having a pen-friend, would it? Not one to leave things for later, she immediately sat at her table and began to scribble a letter on a fresh roll of parchment.

 _Dear Hans,_

 _It was great to hear from you – and no, it wasn't presumptuous at all. I'm quite glad you wrote, honestly!_

 _Yeah, it was indeed a great game – and I did feel bad for Diane, she doesn't deserve to have the burden of that loss. In fact, I met her the morning of the game (my friend Liz's mother used to play Quidditch for England a long time ago; she took us all to meet the players, it was fantastic!), and she is wonderful in person. Shame that she's retired by now, though._

 _I've been quite well, thank you. It's been more than a month since term started, and we've got a lot of new stuff to learn – Transfiguration is proving to be tough once again, with our Professor now teaching us Cross-Species Switches. I tell you, I'd be a lot happier if I didn't lack a knack for it – but I hope I'll get there in the end._

 _How have you been? How is life at Beauxbatons? Do they teach you similar magic as us, too? You should be in your final year, right? I bet it'll be stressful, with tough exams and a career to think about. Good luck with that!_

' _Course we can stay in touch – I'd like that. I look forward to hearing back from you soon!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Lily Evans_

Lily sat up, read the letter once again before folding it and placing it in an envelope. She simply wrote, 'Hans Neumann, Beauxbatons Academy' on it, and stood up, ready to send it. Liz, who had been lying on her bed silently all this while, now said, her tone mocking, "Wow, that was fast – it's almost as if you were dying to talk to him!"

Ignoring her friend's teasing, she said, "I'm going to the Owlery now – you want to come?"

"Nah, I just feel like lazing around today – it's Sunday, after all!" said Liz, yawning.

Lily grinned and said, "And that pile of homework is going to do itself, is it?"

Liz groaned. "You _had_ to remind me, didn't you? All right, Miss I'm-so-sincere-I've-never-turned-in-homework-late… Let's get started when you get back. Now go away and let me grab forty winks in peace."

"If you want to dream about Kevin –" Lily teased, and Liz threw her pillow at her. She ducked, laughing, as her blushing friend shot back, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. Now skedaddle!"

Still chortling, Lily stepped out of the dormitory. She was happy for her friend, but more than that, she was delighted to find a way to ruffle Liz's almost un-rufflable feathers. _Wait, that's not even a word_ , she thought. _What is the opposite of ruffle? Ah, yes – smoothen…_

She entered to the Owlery and looked around; spotting Cavana perched up on one of the higher beams, she gave a faint whistle. At that, her pet swooped down immediately, and settled herself on her hand, her eyes bright and alert.

"Right, I've got a job for you, girl," said Lily briskly. "Go to Beauxbatons Academy – that's in France, so it may take you a few hours – stop by for food, won't you?" Cavana gave her an imperious nod. Lily tied the envelope to her leg. "There you go – all set. Safe flight!" she said, and Cavana gave her an affectionate nip before taking off into the dreary morning sky.

As she was about to step out of the Owlery, however, Lily noticed someone sitting near one of the tables at the other end, staring absently at the sky outside. Curious, she craned her neck to see who it was – to her surprise, it was Jane. Remembering what Liz had told her a couple of days ago, she approached the girl… It was most unusual to see her alone; Lily had hardly seen her and Mark apart for the better part of the last three years.

"Jane?" she said tentatively, and Jane wheeled around sharply, her face relaxing when she saw who it was. Up close, Lily noticed that Jane's eyes looked rather red.

"Oh – hi, Lily," she said, with a somewhat forced smile. "What're you doing here?"

"Cooking," said Lily, attempting to put Jane at ease with humour. Jane gave a little chuckle and said, "An obvious question, I suppose…"

"You OK?" Lily asked. Jane sighed and said, "Well – not really, but I will be…"

It was an odd moment; Lily wasn't sure if she should leave it at that, or if a little prodding would be all right. She decided to go for it. "D'you – d'you want to talk about it?" she asked.

There was a pause, following which Jane said, "Well – Mark's avoiding me. He – er, he asked me out on a date yesterday…" She blushed, and Lily suddenly felt uncomfortable. Cursing her decision to pry, she said tentatively, "Oh."

"The thing is – oh, Lily – the thing is, I had no clue that he felt that way!" Jane burst out, with tears in her honey-brown eyes. "I have always looked at him like my best friend – so, naturally, I was blindsided! I, er – just looked him in shock, and he must've understood, because all he said was, 'You know what, never mind… See you around, Jane!' and just walked away! And he's been avoiding me ever since!" She gave a huge, dramatic sniff.

Lily sighed and said, "Come here…" She pulled Jane into a hug, and the other girl began to cry more freely over her shoulder. They stood that way for about a minute until Jane drew back.

"Thanks, Lily – you must I'm stupid," she said, her face flushed and tear-stained. Lily shook her head and said, "It's OK – don't worry about it. I'm sure Mark will talk to you in a couple of days – look at it from his angle. He probably thinks he embarrassed himself, so he's avoiding you until he can come to terms with it. He'll be all right – and so will you!"

Jane smiled despite herself. "I hope you're right. Thanks – for, you know, just talking to me…"

"No problem," said Lily, a little awkwardly. "But Liz is the one you should thank – she was the one who noticed that you weren't – er, yourself – and she's sorry she didn't ask you why. But she mentioned it to me."

"Liz is sweet," said Jane, a little cheerfully. "She just came to ask me what I knew about Kevin Bell – handsome, isn't he?"

"Yep," agreed Lily, relieved that Jane seemed a lot better than before. "Come on – let's go back to the common room. Maybe Mark will talk to you today."

"Maybe," said Jane hopefully. "I don't want to lose him – he's my best friend!" she added feelingly.

"You won't," said Lily firmly, and Jane smiled her thanks. Together, they exited the Owlery.

Lily was pensive as she walked back. _Well, Potter didn't seem this upset after I rejected him… Perhaps he's stronger, or maybe he doesn't really fancy me… Who knows?_

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"Come on, just drink some tea at least!" said Lily, to Marlene, a little pleadingly. Marlene shook her head, looking a little green, unwilling to open her mouth lest she brought up last night's dinner.

"You need your strength, Marlene!" Mary said gently. "After all – you're going to score a lot of goals!"

"Ugh – you're kidding, right? I know I'm going to mess up!" Marlene exclaimed, speaking her first words of the day.

It was the day of the first Quidditch match of that year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It was also Liz's and Marlene's first game – and it was an understatement that Marlene was nervous.

Mary snorted and said, "Shut up – James says you're great! You'll do just fine!"

"Practice and matches are different, Mary!" Marlene said wildly. "I'm just going to let them all down – I can't bear it!" She buried her face in her hands. It was unnatural to see Marlene like that – she had a sunny, cheerful disposition, always laughing and bubbly.

Lily rubbed her hand on Marlene's back smoothly. "You're going to be just fine, Mar," she said. "You're going to ace this game!"

Liz, who had been eating her breakfast silently until then, said, "Come on – stop being such a baby, Marlene – you're going to play the best sodding game of your life!"

"Easy for you to say," Marlene muttered. "You have nerves of steel!"

"Well – I think it's genetic," said Liz, with mock-thoughtfulness. "But then, I don't have a brother who is the star player for the Appleby Arrows –"

"But that's just it!" exclaimed Marlene. "Allan is so good – he's amazing! And me – when people see me mess up today, they're going to think I stink!"

"Pressure of expectations," said Mary decisively. "Don't worry, Mar – you'll score more goals than James, I guarantee it!"

"What's that now? More goals than me?" said a familiar voice, and James Potter grinned from behind Marlene. "Not happening!" He sat down on Marlene's other side and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Mar – I've seen you at practice, I know how good you are! You're going to be great!" Marlene nodded determinedly, still looking a little pale. Potter squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "That's right – you're going to be just fine. Now – eat." Marlene obeyed, taking the previously untouched piece of toast that Mary had buttered up for her, and began to devour it hungrily.

Lily marvelled at how James Potter had succeeded where they had all failed. Then again, she knew that he and Marlene were old friends… _They must have an understanding other's personalities_ , she thought.

An hour later, she was seated in the stands, cheering her team on. "Potter scores! Gryffindor lead seventy to ten!" came Dorcas Meadowes's cheery voice, and the Gryffindor supporters clapped and cheered. "Yeah, James!" yelled Black excitedly as Potter exchanged claps with Marlene and ignored Amy Blythe's outstretched hand completely. "He still doesn't like her, does he?" Mary pointed out from next to her, and Lily nodded. "She's not been bad, though," Mary continued, "She's scored three goals and James has scored four. Oh, I wish Marlene would get on the scoresheet, too!"

"She will," said Lily reassuringly. "Soon… Just have a little faith."

"Here's Blythe – passes left to McKinnon, and the other new Chaser speeds away on the left flank – tries to cross it, ooh, blocked by Baines, who passes it forward to – no, McKinnon intercepts, nice move!" Dorcas boomed appreciatively, and Lily and Mary cheered wildly; Marlene seemed to be doing just fine now. "McKinnon – feints to the left, ooh, nice turn – she SHOOTS – and SCORES! Eighty-ten to Gryffindor!"

"There, she did it!" Lily yelled as an ecstatic Mary hugged her. "Go, McKinnon!" yelled Black as Marlene excitedly exchanged claps with Potter and Amy Blythe; she seemed to be over her fit of nervousness that morning. _Good for her_ , thought Lily with relief, but her eyes not on Marlene; instead, they were looking steadily at another scarlet-clad figure supremely detached from the proceedings of the game, gliding around at least fifty feet above them. Lily focused her binoculars on Liz, who looked completely at ease on her broom as she flew, ignoring the game, her blonde hair flying behind her. _Typical Liz_ , thought Lily, smiling; _so very focused on her goal – as always. Oh, wait – why is she diving?_

For Liz had indeed gone into a steep dive; heart in mouth, Lily followed Liz's progress through the air as she streaked towards the ground, with a figure clad in green-and-silver on her tail but losing ground on her rapidly. The Gryffindor supporters egged her on with enthusiasm, and Lily followed her best friend's every move as she straightened her broom five feet off the ground: Liz narrowly dodged a Bludger by rolling and hanging upside-down from her broom, flew ahead the same way for a few moments before making a wild grab for the Snitch, all in quick succession. Lily watched, delighted and terrified in equal measure, as Liz righted her broom and accelerated upwards, grinning from ear-to-ear, her hand raised in triumph.

"She's done it – it's over! Gryffindor's new Seeker is too good for Slytherin's Higgs – Huntington's caught the Snitch! Gryffindor win!" Dorcas yelled into the Magical Megaphone with gusto as the Gryffindor section of the stands exploded with cheers. Their winning run against Slytherin now extended to nine matches – as Black now reminded them all by screaming "Nine-zero!" Lily felt proud of her best friend – Liz had been the picture of calmness, not turning a hair even as the Bludger had rocketed towards her, and she'd only just gotten away. Lily had never seen an upside-down catch of the Snitch before, either. It was an amazing catch – and yet, Lily felt that something was off about it. It was almost as if Liz was – showing off. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Liz could've caught the Snitch the right way up, too… It would've been easier that way, wouldn't it?

Lily shook her head as she descended from the stands and jogged towards the team to congratulate them, but her mind was preoccupied. Perhaps she was wrong… Though she understood Quidditch now, she was hopeless at flying. She shouldn't be judging whether a catch would've been easier the right way up – or the sloth-like way Liz had hung as she'd caught the Snitch.

She sighed and smiled as she approached Liz, who was busy celebrating with Marlene and Amy Blythe, of all people. She was going to have to ask Liz about it later…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, why'd you show off?" Lily yelled into Liz's ear over the noise; the party in the common room was going on in full swing.

"What?" Liz yelled back, apparently not comprehending what she was referring to. She had been hoisted over many appreciative shoulders, and looked dishevelled with her usually-neat blonde hair a lot scruffier than usual, but still fresh.

"You know – the catch!" Lily shouted, before shaking her head and saying, "This is ridiculous – follow me, let's go where we don't have to yell!"

Liz obeyed, and they made their way through the sea of dancing people to the stairs that led upwards to their dormitories, where the music wasn't so loud. Lily turned to Liz and said, "Nice catch – but did you _have_ to catch it upside-down? You nearly gave me heart failure!"

Liz laughed and said, "Come on – it was the Sloth Grip Roll! I dodged the Bludger first – then I saw the Snitch right in front of me, so I just caught it!"

"After flying upside-down for a few seconds," Lily pointed out. "Showing off, eh? Potter's rubbing off on you!" she added with a laugh.

Liz laughed again, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well – if you are that good, I'd say you've earned the right to show off – wouldn't you?" she said, her tone teasing, but the look in her sea-green eyes was a little hard. Lily frowned slightly; she didn't want to start a quarrel.

"Yeah, guess so!" she agreed, in a quelling sort of way. Liz's features relaxed, and she said, "Good to know you appreciate our impeccable style, Lil! Now – let's go back and dance!"

"Yes – why not?" replied Lily, and followed her friend back to the loud music, not at all satisfied. Something wasn't right, Liz wouldn't show off – it wasn't in her nature. And yet, she'd noticed the hard glint in her friend's eyes as she'd tried to justify her upside-down catch…

Something was wrong. And she intended to find out what.

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 **Author's Note:**

I changed the name of the boy Lily met in France before the Quidditch World Cup final from Ralf to Hans; less common. I have made the change in Chapter 31 as well. Thanks for reading and cheers!


	37. Chapter 36

Thanks for the reviews, morganna12 and SiriusJamesLupin. You are awesome! Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-six. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Six**

 **Hans Neumann**

November soon gave way to December, as the weather grew steadily colder and rainier, until one day, Lily woke up to find the entirety of the Hogwarts grounds covered with a layer of pure white snow. She stood next to her window to take in the breathtaking sight, thinking about how she'd be home in a few days, and not looking forward to it very much; going home meant the sullen and annoying company of Petunia, something which she could've done without.

Still, the thought of spending her holidays with her parents cheered her up. She remembered with a tight knot in her stomach the disaster that the last Christmas had been; her present to Petunia had been received with as much relish as one taking a dose of nasty, bitter cough medicine. She was taking no chances this year; chocolate was all her sister would be getting from her. Her presents to her parents were far better.

She got dressed and made her way to breakfast with Marlene; they had a free period before Potions that morning, which was why Liz and Mary had decided to sleep in (Lily and Marlene had given them up as lost causes before coming to breakfast). To Lily's surprise, Marlene looked alert and active, as opposed to her usual sleepiness every morning at least until the end of the first class.

"You're up early," she pointed out to Marlene, who rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, I know – I was really tired after practice yesterday, so I crashed pretty early. It's not like it's going to happen every day, is it?"

"Yeah – if it does, your reputation as a sleepyhead will be ruined," said Lily, grinning, and Marlene jokingly hit her on the arm. "Anyway – what're you going to do during the holidays?"

"Well – I'm mostly going to spend it with my family," replied Marlene, "We usually go out somewhere every Christmas – but this year, we're just going to stay at home and have a quiet little Christmas. And hey –" she suddenly sounded like she'd just realized something, "—you should come over! For a few days, at least – have you been to London?"

"Well – unless King's Cross is situated in Paris –" Lily began, but Marlene smacked her lightly on the arm. "No, Lil – I meant – have you _really_ been to London? As a tourist?"

"Er – no," said Lily, frowning. "I mean, I came to your house last summer, but that was only for tea – and I do have an aunt who stays there, but I haven't exactly toured –"

"Then it's settled!" Marlene exclaimed. "I'll have a word with my parents – and let you know when you can come!"

"Thanks, Marlene," said Lily cheerfully. "And you should come to my house, too – we're having this big family dinner on Christmas day, but Boxing day would be great! I'll invite Mary, too!"

"Sounds great!" said Marlene enthusiastically. "But Mary's going to Spain for most of the holidays – so she won't be here. And what about Liz?"

"Well – Liz is going to Brazil," said Lily, a little enviously. "Mr Huntington's got a distant cousin who works for the Brazilian Ministry of Magic, who's invited them to Rio de Janeiro for Christmas! I'm so jealous – I've heard that New Year's Eve in Rio is the most celebrated one in the world – and she gets to go there!"

"Nice, that'll be fun," said Marlene appreciatively. "Well – since our friends are being so inconsiderate to us – we should have our _own_ fun," she added with a hint of sarcasm, and Lily laughed. She liked Marlene, and looked forward to a different kind of holiday this year.

They entered the Great Hall and took seats at the far end of the table, and ate a leisurely breakfast. Liz and Mary arrived soon, and once they were done, Lily lifted her goblet of water – but to her surprise, the water flew right at her, and she caught a faceful. There was a hoot of laughter from behind her. "Wow, you clearly haven't mastered the art of drinking water, Evans!" came the familiar voice of Sirius Black, and she gritted her teeth before looking around her.

Elsewhere, all over the Great Hall, people were recoiling as water or pumpkin juice flew out of their goblets and drenched the ones too slow to react. A ripple of laughter echoed across the Hall, and Lily looked up at the staff table to see an amused-looking Dumbledore talking to an irate Professor McGonagall. Next to her, Liz wore a smirk on her face as she glanced up at Black, saying, "Your doing, I presume?"

Black smiled and said, "My lips are sealed, Hunt. I claim no knowledge of –"

"Nice one, mate!" said Peter, coming up to Black just then, his watery-blue eyes full of amusement. "I wasn't sure if we'd timed it right – but now, it looks like we did!"

"Thanks a lot, Pete," said Black huffily, with a sideways glance at Liz and a still-sopping Mary, who narrowed her eyes as she tried to dry off her robes as quickly as she could. Lily giggled and applied a quick Drying Charm over herself. _I seem to be doing that a lot this year_ , she thought wryly.

"Where's your usual partner in crime?" Marlene asked Black as she wiped the juice off her face.

"Dreamland," said Black promptly. "We tried to wake him up but he shooed us away – rather unlike him to miss a – I mean, he must be tired… He can be late to Potions if he wants to…"

Lily rolled her eyes and stood up. "Well – _we'll_ be late if we don't leave now – so, let's go!" she said, picking up her bag. Black grinned and said, "Yeah – another morning of Slughorn fawning all over you – should be fun, eh?"

"Essentially, Friday," said Liz, her tone sardonic, and everyone laughed as Lily blushed crimson.

"You're jealous," she returned promptly, and he laughed. "No way! A Marauder will never be a teacher's pet!" he said passionately. Lily rolled her eyes and set off towards the dungeons, and the rest followed.

They walked into their classroom and took their usual places, with Lily sitting next to Severus. "So, what're you going to do for the holidays?" he asked her as he took out his textbook.

"Oh, you know – the usual," said Lily. "Go home, have fun with my parents, _maybe_ visit Matthew – and have a 'who-can-be-meaner contest' with Petunia, for nothing completes a holiday without that!" she added dryly.

"You're going to lose that contest," he returned, his tone just as dry but his black eyes glinting with amusement. She laughed and said, "That's one contest I don't mind losing!" He smiled back and said, "I don't think you'll beat anyone at that – you're too nice." She blushed and turned away, just in time to see Potter enter the classroom in a rush, with one odd addition to his usual appearance – a grey, woolly hat covering his hair completely. He immediately took his place next to Black, who smirked.

"Trust Potter to make a grand entrance," said Severus scathingly, "The bloody, attention-seeking twat!" She frowned and said, "Hey, come on, the bloke's running because he overslept – I don't exactly think he woke up this morning and decided, 'Hey, I'm going to make a grand entrance in Potions today!'"

"You never know," said Severus darkly, his eyes full of loathing as they observed Potter set up his cauldron. Lily shook her head; sure, Severus held a grudge against Potter, but why was he so intense about it? _And they say girls are complicated_ , she thought wryly as Professor Slughorn walked into the classroom and beamed around at them all.

"Well, well – since this is the last class of term, I thought we could have some fun!" he announced as they all sat up to pay attention. He continued enthusiastically, "How about we brew the – Essence of Hunger? A gobletful of this funny little Potion and someone who has just eaten will feel hungry enough to eat a full meal again!"

"That's a useless Potion for Peter, Professor," said Black loudly, and a ripple of laughter ran throughout the class. Slughorn chuckled richly and said, "Also – you all will work with new partners today – just to see if you can work well together with someone whose working style is unfamiliar to you. Now, now –" he added as the class gave a collective groan, "—this exercise should be at least a _little_ challenging, shouldn't it? Here's who will partner up today –"

Lily fervently hoped that she wouldn't be paired up with Mulciber, Avery or any other despicable Slytherin in their year, especially after setting Mulciber's robes on fire and causing him to be the object of ridicule for at least a fortnight after that incident. Luckily, Slughorn seemed to be pairing boys off with boys and girls with girls. "Miss Evans – with Miss Bond," he read from the list in his hand, and Lily's spirits lifted slightly; after all, Ashley Bond often partnered with Liz, and she'd worked well with her for three years. "Mr Snape – and Mr Potter," Slughorn continued, and the class went deadly quiet; nearly everyone knew that the last time Potter and Severus had come face-to-face, the latter had been hit with a Bat-Bogey Hex – these sorts of things spread through the school faster than the wind.

She quickly looked at Severus before chancing a glance at Potter; it was hard to tell which face showed more anger and hatred. Shuddering slightly, she gave Severus an encouraging smile as Slughorn called, "That's that! Now, get ready – find your partners and give me a nice Potion in the next hour. Fastest pair gets a bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate!"

"Good enough for Pete to put in an effort!" Black said loudly once again, and there was another titter of laughter as Peter went pink. There was a sudden scraping of tables and chairs as people got up to go and sit to their partners for the day. "It'll be over soon," said Lily to Severus, who only nodded moodily in her direction and stalked off towards the back of the classroom where Potter sat rigidly. She followed him with a worried gaze. _I hope they don't kill each other_ , she thought sardonically.

"They _really_ don't like each other, do they?" said a soft voice, and Lily turned around to see Ashley Bond slide gracefully in the seat next to her. She was quite good-looking; her dark hair fell past her shoulders, and her light-blue eyes were amused. "A Galleon says that someone's nose will be broken by the end of the class." She laughed.

Lily shrugged and said, "As long as it's not Severus's." Ashley laughed again and said, "We'll see – my money's on Potter breaking Snape's nose."

Lily tried to recall what she knew about Ashley. Sure, on occasions that they had to work in pairs in Potions, Liz worked with her. Liz had told her that Ashley was one of the few Slytherins who didn't seem to be prejudiced against Muggleborns, and she was reasonably good at Potions – but other than that, she didn't really know much. However, Liz hadn't said anything bad about her – which spoke volumes in itself, considering her best friend's general prejudice against Slytherins.

"So, d'you want to get started?" she asked Ashley, who snorted. "This _is_ a class, so I think that is what is expected," she said dryly, and Lily felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. Maybe working with a Slytherin other than Sev wouldn't be so bad after all.

They brought their ingredients and began to work on their Potion. "Really, apples?" said Ashley, frowning over the instructions in the textbook. Lily smiled and said, "Apples contain fructose – it's a hunger-inducing substance, so – makes sense, doesn't it?"

"It's like you don't need the textbook!" Ashley exclaimed in mock admiration, and Lily rolled her eyes. "No, really – how come you're so good at Potions? It's like all this comes naturally to you!" Ashley added.

Lily blushed faintly and said, "You're not so bad yourself, Liz told me."

Ashley snorted and said, "Liar." She began to cut the apples with lightning-quick speed; the knife was almost a blur.

"No, really," said Lily earnestly as she began to boil the water. "Liz said you do the complicated stuff like cutting things to equal sizes very well – plus your hands are a lot gentler than hers, so you do all the skinning and peeling."

Ashley looked surprised. "Huh. That's odd, I always thought she didn't like me. Oh, she's nice and all –" she added quickly, catching Lily's eye, "—but, I dunno, I always felt she'd rather work with anyone else than me. It's a pity, really – I think Liz is pretty cool."

 _She's perceptive_ , thought Lily. Or maybe Liz isn't as good at hiding her prejudice as she thinks…

"I think Liz is pretty cool, too," she said stoutly, as Ashley added the diced apples to their potion and began to chop Gentian roots into equal sizes.

There was a pause, and Lily quickly shot a glance at Potter and Severus, who stood as far away from each other at their table, with (to her surprise) a cauldron each in front of them. It looked like they were making separate potions.

"I dunno what you think of us Slytherins, Lily," came Ashley's soft voice, and she turned again to face to other girl, who continued, "But not all of us have a bias against – you know – someone who isn't a pureblood. Take me, for instance – I'm half-blood, my mother's parents are Muggles."

"Oh?" said Lily politely, raising her eyebrows. Ashley nodded and said, "Yup, Daddy and Mummy got together in school – and Daddy works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – he's a Hit Wizard, see?"

"Er – what is that?" asked Lily curiously, stirring their potion as Ashley added the Gentian roots. The potion fizzed and bubbled, before turning a faint yellow-green colour, as described by the textbook.

"You see – a Hit Wizard is like a highly trained Auror whose main job is to catch and apprehend dangerous and violent criminals," explained Ashley. "Daddy likes it – you can tell that he lives for the thrill." She wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "It's a dangerous job, too – Mum's constantly worried sick, and he's got a bed reserved for him at St Mungo's – the Wizarding hospital," she added quickly, catching Lily's confused look.

"Wow – sounds awfully risky," said Lily, shuddering slightly. Ashley nodded solemnly and said, "It really is – but Daddy was always very particular about putting the bad blokes in Azkaban."

"Now – that is not the point of this class," came the disapproving voice of Professor Slughorn, and Lily and Ashley wheeled around to see their Professor standing to Severus's and Potter's table, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "You are supposed to collaborate, not compete. Now, it looks like Mr Snape has advanced further than you, Mr Potter – so why don't you add your thistle seeds to his potion?"

"But Professor – he didn't contribute to this!" Severus protested vehemently, indicating his cauldron. Slughorn shook his head and said, "He is doing a good job on his own, Mr Snape – so that's quite all right. Now – work together, boys." He walked away, and Potter reluctantly moved to Severus's cauldron and added thistle seeds to it. Severus grudgingly began to stir the potion, not even looking at his partner, who seemed content to ignore him back.

"The tension at that table is thicker than the November fog in London," Ashley said sardonically from next to her. Lily shook her head worriedly and said, "I just hope Sev keeps his head."

"How come you're friends with him?" asked Ashley curiously, as their potion bubbled even more slowly turning a leaf-green colour which was its last stage.

"Well – we live in the same town, and he was the one who told me I'm a witch," said Lily. "He's always been nice to me, too – despite his other – friends." She couldn't keep the viciousness out of her voice as she spoke, and Ashley grinned. "You'd have made an awful Slytherin," she said, her tone wry. "You're too forthright."

"I like being in Gryffindor," said Lily, a little defensively, and Ashley shook her head, laughing. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. And I understand what you mean – I mean, the blokes in our year –" she lowered her voice, "—you'd have to look around in the four corners of the world to find stupider people. That Wilkes – he had the nerve to ask me out before our first Hogsmeade weekend. I mean, can you imagine? _Ew!_ " she exclaimed, her nose wrinkled. Lily laughed.

"Severus is one of the clever ones," added Ashley. "We worked on our Defence project back in second year, and I could see that he knew his stuff. I'm so glad I was paired up with him instead of the other idiots."

"Yeah, I hear you," said Lily fervently. It was nice to see a Slytherin who was sensible, at least.

"No, you idiot – not yet! Get away!" came an annoyed shout, and she turned around just in time to see Severus shove Potter away from their simmering cauldron. She watched in alarm as Potter balanced himself and gave Severus a firm push as well; Severus retaliated by trying to hit Potter's shoulder, and within seconds, the two of them were fighting.

"No, stop!" she yelled, and began to march towards them briskly, as Slughorn called from the opposite end of the dungeon, "Mr Snape – Mr Potter! Stop fighting at once! Ten points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor!" Lily watched with narrowed eyes as the boys from both Houses began to egg their respective combatants on, not even trying to break the fight. _Idiots_ , she thought as she made her way to their table.

Just as Lily arrived, Potter pushed Severus, who tried to balance himself by grabbing the first thing that was within reach – Potter's hat. That didn't really work, and Severus fell to the ground, but not before succeeding in pulling Potter's hat off completely.

She stopped in surprise as Potter stood there, frozen – and the reason was pretty obvious. There were antlers sprouting from Potter's head, giving him a rather weird appearance. He flushed as the class began to laugh at his appearance, before gnashing his teeth and pulling Severus to his feet, ready to punch him – but to Lily's relief, Slughorn arrived at their table at that very moment.

"Detention, boys – outrageous behaviour," he thundered, and Lily shuddered at the anger in the usually-genial professor's voice. "Potter – go to the Hospital Wing, and get those ridiculous horns removed at once. I don't know what you're playing at, but I will be speaking to Professor McGonagall about this. Go – now," he commanded, and Potter glared at him silently before throwing his things in his bag and marching out of the classroom without a backward glance at anyone else. With a last concerned look at Severus, Lily returned to her spot.

"Damn it, no one broke anyone's nose," said Ashley, and Lily glared at her, not finding the statement particularly funny. "Oh, lighten up – I'm only joking," said Ashley, her tone quelling. "Though Potter seems to be getting into the Christmas spirit early, don't you think? Reindeer antlers, I ask you," she added, grinning.

"Yeah, I wonder what that was all about," said Lily thoughtfully. "And how did he hide them so well?"

Ashley shrugged. "Undetectable Extension Charm, I guess," she said, and Lily nodded. There was a pause, following which Ashley spoke again. "Er – our potion is ready, Lily – want to show it to Slughorn?"

"Sure," said Lily, a little distracted. The class ended with Slughorn showering praise over the two of them, and giving them each a bar of tasty-looking chocolate. "Nice working with you, Lily – thanks to you, this was the easiest chocolate I've ever won," said Ashley cheerfully, and began to pack up her things.

Lily blushed and said, "You were quite good yourself! See you!" Ashley gave her a small smile and a wave before filing out of the classroom with the rest of her friends, all of whom regarded Lily rather appraisingly as they passed her. Lily hung around, waiting for Liz and the rest.

"That was pretty awful of Snape," said Liz furiously as they walked towards the Great Hall. "James wasn't even doing anything – just trying to add some stuff. Who made Snape the boss?"

"Well – Severus is better than him at Potions, isn't he?" Lily pointed out, and immediately wished she hadn't, for Liz rounded on her instead. "Yes, support him – why am I not surprised? How did you forget that he led you into an ambush in Hogsmeade?"

"That's not true!" exclaimed Lily. "It was those prats Mulciber and Avery – Severus was trying to stop them!"

"Without lifting a wand, that's pretty effective," said Liz snidely. "I dunno how you're still friends with him, Lily –"

"Drop it," said Marlene, her tone commanding. "Let it go, Liz – Lily's old enough to decide who she should be friends with." Mary nodded vigorously, looking distressed. Liz looked like she still had an opinion to share, before shrugging and falling silent. Lily gave Marlene a grateful smile, and Marlene nodded back as they walked towards the Great Hall for lunch.

Later that night, she lay on her bed, wide awake. _Something is bothering Liz_ , she thought. It was not like her to be so passionately subjective – especially when both parties were at fault. Lily had chewed Severus's ear off for allowing his temper to get the better of him earlier that evening… But Liz's overall reaction had been quite contrary of her usual level-headedness. Why was Liz acting like this?

She shook her head. _I have to find out_ , she thought. _Maybe I'll do it after the holidays…_

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It was nearly eleven o' clock on a cold, snowy night in early January when Lily sat at her desk, penning a letter to Severus. She was going to send it with her present to him, a green jumper with the words 'Potions is like cooking – never lick the spoon!' embroidered on it in silver. She was sure he'd get a laugh out of it, so she'd had it custom-made when she'd gone to Diagon Alley with Marlene and her brother, as Mrs McKinnon had insisted that the girls not go there alone in these bleak times.

Lily dipped her quill in ink and began to write.

 _Dear Severus,_

 _Happy birthday! And a Happy New Year, too! How are you doing? I hope you'll like the present that is being sent with this letter – I certainly did!_

 _I'm having a great holiday – though it feels odd, not having seen Liz for the last couple of weeks. Christmas dinner went well without incident, thankfully – you know how Petunia can get when I'm at home – but of all people, Matthew kept her entertained. I think he saw the tension, Sev – so he was his usual clownish self, and Tuney was even laughing by the end of the meal, though she did occasionally glower at me. I don't think she's forgotten last year's Christmas, either._

 _Marlene came over on Boxing Day this year, and she got along extremely well with my parents. I was surprised that she bonded with Tuney – before you ask, no, I'm not joking – when I stepped out for about half an hour to buy some groceries. By the time I got back, Tuney was showing some of her paintings to Marlene! It was astonishing, to be honest – Marlene told me later that she just asked Tuney what she liked to do in her spare time, and Tuney told her about her art – I guess she didn't want to make a scene because Mum and Dad were there, too – and then Mum suggested that Tuney show her paintings to Marlene, and Tuney agreed to do that. It was a bit awkward for Marlene, too – but she was too polite to refuse…_

 _I went to her house a few days later, to attend a New Year's Party. I remember my feelings when I went there last summer for the first time – Marlene had told me earlier that they all lived in a tiny apartment, because of family gold being distributed over generations – but as it had turned out, Marlene probably thought that elephants are tiny (Yes, I made this exact same joke back then, too!). You see, that 'tiny' apartment is nothing short of a huge penthouse with a breathtaking view of the Thames from the terrace. The living room is bright and spacious, as is the kitchen – and there're so many bedrooms!_

 _Well – a lot of things happened over the next three days, Sev. Marlene and I went roaming about in London, with her brother and sister. We went to the Tower of London, the Westminster Abbey and the Buckingham Palace, too – my, they're all so grand! London is such a beautiful city – I want to come back once again at leisure, so that I get some more time to see everything. We even went to the Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye, and the Big Ben. It was like – well, I dunno, I can't really explain it so well – but it felt great to be a normal tourist for a change, Severus. I guess I miss my Muggle life a lot more than I thought._

 _There is one more thing, Sev. You see – I think I may have mentioned Hans once to you – that Beauxbatons bloke I met at the Quidditch World Cup final? I've been in touch with him over the past few months (only Liz, and now, Marlene, know about this) – and I say, he's a pretty interesting bloke. He plays the piano, Quidditch and he claims, at least, that he's a pretty good cook! He likes Potions, too – his last letter gave me a nice hint on how to brew an antidote for adder venom. Anyway, the point here is that he asked me if I'd be in London during the holidays, because he was visiting relatives there – and to be honest, Sev, if Marlene hadn't invited me, I'd have made up an excuse to go to Aunt Jenny's (my London Aunt), anyway. As it turned out, though, Aunt Jenny is currently in Australia on a vacation, so I got lucky! We made plans to meet at the Leaky Cauldron on New Year's Eve. As soon as I told Marlene (she wouldn't stop badgering me – apparently, I blush at the smallest things! Ugh!) about Hans, she got all excited and teased me mercilessly. But we cooked up a plan – Marlene's brother, Allan (he's so cool, Sev – I sometimes wish I had an elder brother who was a wizard, but I got a jealous and snide elder sister instead) agreed to cover for me, so once we were done shopping, Marlene spent the rest of the day with him just loafing around in Diagon Alley, while I made plans to meet with Hans at the Leaky Cauldron for an hour or two. And as for how that went…_

XXXXX

Lily sat at the corner table nervously as the time inched closer to four o'clock, according to the clock over the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. She quickly took out a piece of parchment from her bag and read it yet again; assuring herself that it said four o'clock on December 31st, she folded it and replaced it in her bag. It had come as a rolled scroll – Hans had explained that he'd been too lazy to find an envelope – but she'd read it so many times that it was now quite flat.

Someone entered the pub just as the clock struck four and Lily quickly focused on the newcomer; with a most unfamiliar flutter of her heart, she noted the tall, handsome boy wearing a black-and-white winter jacket. Her heart-rate increasing, she waved to him as he made eye-contact with her, and felt a blush spread across her face as he waved back at her animatedly and grinned before heading to her table and sitting down in front of her.

"Hallo," he greeted her; his voice was deep and rich. Lily felt an involuntary grin spread across her face as she said, "Hi." Why was she suddenly sounding so breathless?

"I hope you haven't been waiting long – I must apologise for my lateness," he said, and she laughed. "You're joking, right? You said four – you're here not a minute late! It's not surprising, though – you _are_ German, after all." Once she'd spoken, however, she kicked herself mentally. _What a stupid thing to say_ , she thought furiously _. Can't you – not – stereotype – for once?_

But to her relief, he laughed. "Well – I'm Indian – but born and raised in Germany. So, yes – whatever you've heard about us Germans is true – we keep time like atomic clocks!" he said, the smile on his face widening as he spoke.

"And you have relatives in England?" she asked him.

"Yep," he replied, "Again, that's the boon of being Indian – there aren't too many placse in the world where you won't find people from India. As for me – my Aunt – that's my Dad's younger sister – she lives in England. She attended Beauxbatons, just like Dad – but my Uncle is English, see? I decided to visit them for Christmas – my parents are at my other Uncle's house – my Mother's brother, that is – but my cousins are annoying, pampered little princes, so here I am." She nodded, drinking in all this information; he'd talked without drawing in a single breath, and she marvelled at his talking abilities.

"So, what about you? What brings you to London?" he asked her, and she quickly shrugged off her train of thought.

"Well – I'm visiting my friend Marlene – and today, she wanted to go to Diagon Alley – that's the place to buy all of our school stuff, see? Anyway – she's shopping right now, so – here I am!" She played with her hair as she spoke, looking deeply into his warm light-brown eyes. She noted his moderately-high cheekbones, dimpled chin, and a little soul patch just below his mouth. He was certainly handsome.

"I see," he said, a little thoughtfully, as Tom the barman himself approached their table. Hans looked at her enquiringly, and asked, "What would you like? A Butterbeer, tea, coffee?"

"Coffee," she replied promptly. He nodded and said to Tom, "Two coffees, please – cream, no sugar for one of those." Tom nodded and grinned – Lily noted that half his teeth were gone. He made a note, bowed, and walked away towards the pub's kitchen.

"So," said Hans, "I think the quickest way to get to know someone – is to play a game. Not Quidditch, obviously," he added, and she laughed, a little higher-pitched than usual. "I already know some stuff about you from your letters – but trust me, this'll be fun!"

"What's the game?" she asked curiously.

"It's called – _Schnellfeuer_ ," he said, and she raised her eyebrows. He laughed and said, "In English, that's Rapid Fire. You see – we take turns to ask each other questions, and answer the first thing that comes to our mind. Do you want to play?"

"Of course," she said, smiling; this game sounded interesting. She added, "How about I ask you the first question?" He grinned and nodded. "Please," he said courteously.

"Er – favourite colour?" she asked.

"Blue," he returned promptly. "You?"

"Orange," she returned. He grinned and asked, "I thought you'd say green – or red. Well – dawn or dusk?"

"Dawn," she replied. "I like getting up early, how about you?"

"Dusk, no doubt," he said with conviction. "I'm more of a night owl!" He laughed, and she joined in.

Time seemed to fly by as they played Rapid Fire. Hans was right; they did find out more about each other than through their letters. She learned that he liked Muggle music, spoke four languages, liked trains better than Apparition, and would rather go to the French Riviera on vacation than the Alps. He knew quite a bit about Muggles, too ("You'd be surprised – there's quite a few Muggle-borns at Beauxbatons! My best friend Jacques is one of them!"), and he talked about the Beauxbatons castle as well – its grand hallways, non-melting ice sculptures in Christmas, and its colossal Quidditch pitch which occasionally hosted the French Quidditch League matches. He told her that he played Chaser on his House team – there were six Houses at Beauxbatons, so the inter-house Quidditch tournament was a pretty big deal. His dream was to become a world-famous Quidditch player, like his idol Diane Müller (who, he said, had delayed retirement by a year and was still playing for Puddlemere United), but he wasn't sure if not following a career in Research of Defensive Magic would be a right choice. Oh, and he was a foodie, too…

Lily found himself liking his sunny, merry personality. He seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face, and he listened attentively as she told him about her life at Hogwarts, her friends, and her overall aptitude towards Potions and Charms. She wasn't really sure what she wanted to do with her life – the kind of career path she wanted to pursue, that is. He asked her about the war, and if she faced any kind of trouble at school. She said yes, sometimes she did face trouble – but nothing she couldn't handle. He laughed and said that the best way to respond to such people was not giving them any attention – but she shouldn't hesitate to retaliate if they hexed her. She replied that she had no intention to do so, and narrated the incident in Hogsmeade earlier that year – within seconds, they were both laughing uncontrollably. They ordered food, and talked about a few more non-specific things. It was a most enjoyable afternoon.

"Er, Lily?" a tentative voice came from behind her, and she wheeled around to see Marlene standing next to her chair. "Er – I don't mean to be rude, but we said we'd return by six, and it's already – er, six-thirty," Marlene said awkwardly, but her cobalt-blue eyes were amused. Lily blushed and nodded. She turned to Hans and said, "Er – I'm sorry, Hans – but we, er, have to go now." Hans grinned and stood up, saying, "No problem, Lily – in fact, I must get going, too, there's a party at my Aunt's. Hallo – I'm Hans," he added to Marlene, who smiled back at him brightly. "Marlene," she said, a little breathlessly.

"Nice to meet you," he said politely. He shook hands with Marlene before turning to Lily and saying, "I had a great time, Lily – _sehr toll!_ I'll write to you!" He opened his arm, and she responded in kind to bestow a perfunctory hug on him. "You will get home, right?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Marlene's brother is right there, talking to Tom." Hans nodded and said, "Well – Happy New Year in advance! Until we meet again, then. _Auf Wiedersehen!_ " And with a cheery wave he was off, stepping out of the pub with a final glance and smile at her.

"Wow!" exclaimed Marlene the moment Hans stepped out, "He's gorgeous!" She punched Lily lightly on her shoulder. "You didn't say he was _this_ handsome!"

"Well – handsomeness isn't really something you can quantify," said Lily, once again feeling a little breathless. Marlene rolled her eyes before asking her, "You like him – don't you?"

Lily hesitated. True, their interests did seem to match quite a bit, and he had certainly been nice and charming for the last couple of hours. But did she like him? She thought about his light-brown eyes, his short, straight hair, and his muscular build. She thought about how effortlessly funny he was – how he talked so easily, how he'd put her at ease almost immediately – how he'd been so very courteous. She remembered how her heart had beaten a little faster as she'd seen him for the first time that evening, and how the gloomy, snowy day had seemed loads brighter once he'd arrived – how she'd subconsciously played with her hair, and how it had felt the most natural thing in the world. It was obvious…

"Don't bother answering – your face gives you away every time!" exclaimed Marlene, her eyes glinting with amusement. Lily felt her cheeks grow even hotter. "I – I think I do," she said nevertheless, and Marlene grinned wickedly. "Ooh, the others are going to have so much fun," she said, and Lily felt mortified; she was going to have to endure a merciless spate of teasing during the next term. She was spared from responding by the arrival of Marlene's brother. "All set?" he asked them, and they nodded. He smiled and said, "Let's hope Mum doesn't do her nut – we're nearly an hour late, and we still have to get ready!"

"The party is at eight, Allan!" said Marlene, rolling her eyes. Allan grinned and said, "Yes – but we were supposed to help with the decorations, weren't we?"

Marlene shut her eyes tight, and Lily drew in a sharp breath. "Oops," said Marlene, her voice low. Allan laughed and said bracingly, "Come on – better late than never!"

They proceeded to the fireplace, preparing themselves for a possible onslaught from an irate Mrs McKinnon, but Lily's thoughts were elsewhere. She'd had such a great time… _I hope to meet him again, soon!_ she thought as she stepped into the fireplace…

XXXXX

Lily got up and retrieved another roll of parchment from her school-bag. _This is turning out to be like a short story_ , she thought sardonically as she began to write further.

 _Anyway, that New Year's Party was amazing! There were so many people… Lots of high-ranking officials from the Ministry, mainly. I borrowed a set of dress robes from Marlene (Yes, it was a formal occasion) and tried to mingle with everyone. Marlene forgot to mention that Potter (antler-free, thankfully) and Black would be there (she did tell me later that her family and the Potters are old friends, and because Black was already at Potter's house, he tagged along, too), but thankfully they managed to stay out of my hair. It was unusual, Sev – I mean, Potter never loses an opportunity to annoy me, but he was – kind of – well, distracted. Also – it looked like he was trying to put up a façade of some sort – his smile was definitely forced when he wished me a Happy New Year. Plus, he wasn't playing the fool with Black – OK, OK, enough about those two berks, I know you don't care, haha!_

 _I haven't heard from Liz yet, which feels odd – she's the one who has gone to another country, not me. She should've written to me – maybe she thought an owl would be too tired to fly trans-Atlantic – I dunno, she should've Floo called me at least! I dunno – something doesn't feel right. Maybe she didn't find the time, maybe they're all touring – OK, OK, I know I'm overthinking again – so I'll just – stop. There, happy?_

 _How were your holidays? What did you do at Hogwarts? And don't you dare say same old, same old – I want a detailed account like I gave you, understand?_

 _Once again – happy birthday! I hope you like the present!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Lily_

Lily tied the letter to Cavana's leg, gave her an affectionate pat, and sent her off into the night sky. She shut the window immediately and watched her owl soar against the moonlight, thinking carefully… She was particularly worried about Liz's stony silence – Liz would've done something to wish her a Happy New Year, wouldn't she? It didn't make sense – was Liz avoiding her? Lily remembered some other stuff, too – like how Liz had showed off at the Quidditch match, and how her temper seemed a lot shorter than usual –

 _No_ , said a firm voice in her head. _You're overthinking again…_ But she was determined to get to the bottom of Liz's new attitude. It wasn't – it just wasn't _Liz_. She was smart, kind, snarky and unflappably calm. But of late…

She had to ask Liz what was going on. She just had to…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"But I told you – I didn't have enough time!" Liz said exasperatedly as they walked back from Care of Magical Creatures on the first Monday back after the Christmas break. Lily rolled her eyes and said patiently, "Come on, Liz – one Floo call? Five minutes? I didn't even know where you were staying, or I'd have called you myself! But you did –"

"Yes – but like I said, I was busy," said Liz, gritting her teeth. Lily drew in a deep breath, but before she could say anything, a shout came from behind them. "Don't shove!" came the voice of Sirius Black, and Lily and Liz turned over just in time to see Black give Potter a firm push. With a yelp, Potter flinched – and slipped over the snow and fell backwards. Lily wrinkled her forehead – but Liz's reaction was astonishing.

She laughed.

She burst into laughter at the sight of Potter in the snow, as Marlene and Peter helped him to his feet, while Remus restrained Black, who roughly shook himself free and started to march off to the castle. Potter just glared at her as he, too, began to march off – followed by the others. But Lily lagged behind with Liz, who had finally stopped laughing.

"OK – What was that?" she asked her best friend promptly.

"What was what?" asked Liz, nonplussed.

Lily took in a deep breath and said, "You laughed. It's not like you – every time there's a fight you usually break it up, not add fuel to the fire!"

"Oh, God, Lily!" Liz suddenly burst out. "What has gotten _into_ you? Why are you scrutinizing every little thing I do? What are you – some kind of investigator?"

"I'm not –" Lily started to say, but Liz cut her off. "You've been like this since the Quidditch match. You accuse me of showing off when it was actually a darn good catch, with the Sloth Grip Roll, no less. You whine that I wasn't in contact over Christmas, but like I said – I was busy. You even ignored all the chocolates I got for you from Brazil! And today – what, a friend can't laugh when their friends fall? That's what makes them good friends!" she shouted with high dudgeon.

"So what're you saying, I'm _not_ a good friend to you?" Lily asked her incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm saying – you – nah, forget it," said Liz dismissively. "You'll just make a big deal out of it, too!"

"Out of what?" Lily asked her, suddenly angry. "Out of what, Liz? Come on, say it!"

"Fine, I'll say it," Liz replied, her sea-green eyes hard, "You and I – it's like an unbalanced friendship, Lily! I've always respected your opinion – I've even come to you for advice so many times! But there's one thing – Lily, how can you even think that Snape is a good sort? And possibly, a better person than Potter? He's a Slytherin!"

So that was what this was about. Lily felt tears come to her eyes. "How many times have I told you – he's one of the good ones!"

"No, he _isn't_! Look at the company he keeps – an obvious fact you completely ignore! And I – am tired of telling you what you just _refuse_ to see. Your opinion has always mattered to me – why can't it be the other way around?"

"It's not like that," Lily began, hurt that Liz could think like this. But Liz shook her head. "I've had enough, I'm leaving," she said stonily, and began to storm off towards the castle. Lily stood rooted to the spot, unable to fathom why Liz had reacted like this. More tears came to her eyes, and she began to make her way towards the pumpkin patch, away from the castle. She had to get away…

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 **Author's note** : Sorry, this took a while. I've been busy with my final semester, and I shall graduate soon! Thank you all for reading and following this story!


	38. Chapter 37

Thanks for the review Guest. Could you be so kind and tell me why, so that I may improve?

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-seven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven**

" **Behavioural change is a definite symptom."**

She didn't know how long she's been sitting by the tree near the pumpkin patch. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, only dimly aware of the chill in the air and the cloudy grey skies – it looked like it could snow at any moment, but she was too upset to care. _What has gotten into Liz?_ she wondered. Sure, Liz wasn't Severus's biggest fan, but she had never lashed out like that before. She had _tolerated_ him… What had changed? Lily's tears still flowed… Why, for once, couldn't her friends be at peace with one another?

"Yeh all righ'?" said a gruff voice, and she looked up to see Hagrid the gamekeeper looking down upon her, his beetle-black eyes warm and concerned. She had barely interacted with Hagrid over the past three years; he was a huge man, more than eight feet tall, with a tangled mess of hair for a beard. He looked quite forbidding, but Lily had heard from a lot of her fellow students that Hagrid was a gentle soul.

She gave a giant sniff and said, with a brave attempt at keeping her voice casual, "Yes – yes, I'm all right –"

"Rubbish," snorted Hagrid. "Yeh're upse' – abou' summat. C'mon – c'mere, le's have a cuppa tea in me house." He indicated his large hut. "Did yeh have lunch?" the huge man asked her.

She hesitated, then shook her head no. "C'mon, then – le's go," said Hagrid, and extended a giant, plate-sized hand to her. She hesitated again before taking it and allowing herself to be helped up.

"Wha's yer name?" Hagrid asked her. "Lily Evans," she said dully, and he smiled, his beetle-black eyes twinkling. "C'mon, then, Lily," he said again, and began to make his way to his hut. Thinking that it would be too polite to refuse, she followed Hagrid at a less urgent pace.

The moment Hagrid opened the door, something huge threw itself at Hagrid. Lily drew back hastily before relaxing; it was a large black boarhound, and by the looks of it, it was very friendly – it was currently in the process of licking Hagrid's hairy face. "Max! Maxie! Down, boy!" Hagrid said, and the dog obeyed at once, though its tongue was still sticking out, and its tail continued to wag.

"Here – he's jus' a li'l _too_ friendly, tha's all," said Hagrid reassuringly, as Max the boarhound trotted up to Lily, and gazed into her eyes inquiringly. Lily happily tickled its ears, and patted its head as it stood still with its eyes closed, apparently enjoying it. Lily immediately began to feel better, and the dog kept wagging its tail before proceeding to lick her hand in a friendly sort of way.

"He's adorable!" she exclaimed, bending down and rubbing her own nose against the dog's wet one, something it seemed to like very much. Lily had always liked dogs – Matthew and his parents had recently adopted one, and playing with that little puppy had been one of the highlights of her stay at Matthew's over the summer. She'd tried to convince her parents multiple times to let her adopt one – but Tuney hated animals, and with her being away at Hogwarts most of the time, that was that. She wished that Hogwarts allowed dogs as pets – but all they were allowed were cats and toads, none of whom she particularly liked, so she settled for an owl instead.

"Yeah – he's friendly, but ge' on his wrong side an' there's no fiercer animal!" Hagrid boomed proudly. "C'min – make yerself a' home." Max wagged his tail eagerly and began to bound into the house, away from the cold. Shivering slightly, she followed them in. There was only one room inside; a massive bed stood in the corner with a patchwork quilt over it, and hams and pheasants hung freely from the ceiling. Hagrid pointed a flowery pink umbrella at the patch in the middle of the room; within seconds, flames crackled there merrily as if they'd been there for hours. He placed a copper kettle over the open fire, and set water to boil. Lily settled herself over the massive sofa, feeling very much out of place.

"Here," he said gruffly, handing her a plate and placing a couple of rock cakes over it. "It's nearly lunchtime, isn' it? This'll be a nice change fer yeh – from the castle food." He smiled as he spoke, and she smiled back at him. "Thanks, er – Mr Hagrid," she said, a little uncertainly. The huge man's smile widened (at least, she thought it did; it was hard to tell from the mass of hair on his face). "Call me Hagrid, Lily – everyone does," he said cheerfully.

"Er – OK, Hagrid it is," said Lily, with a grin, as Max settled himself down beside her and rested his head in her lap. She patted him absently, and Hagrid looked gratified. The other students hadn't been kidding – he seemed to be very nice and gentle.

She took one bite of the rock cake – and drew back. She didn't want to be rude – but the issue was, the rock cake was exactly like a rock, and she was unable to bite it. An idea came to her.

"Er – Hagrid," she began, "Er – these are a little hard for me, so d'you mind if I used a quick charm on them?"

Hagrid surveyed her thoughtfully before saying, "Sure – wha' charm are yeh gonna use?"

"A Softening Charm," she said, and drew her wand. "I dunno if it'll work, but I can try… I don't want to spoil these cakes though."

"Don' worry abou' it," Hagrid said gruffly, "There's plen'y more…"

"In that case – _Macerum!_ " said Lily, before taking a rock cake from her plate and feeling it. "Mm, that's tender," she said happily, and took a large bite from it. "Mm, Hagrid – these are really good!" she exclaimed as a mouthful of raisins and utterly tasteless dough hit her tongue. She didn't want to hurt the giant's feelings – he'd been very kind to her.

Hagrid looked at her doubtfully before taking stuffing the entire second rock cake in his mouth. "Nah – too sof' for me," he said decisively. "It's like – wa'er!" Lily laughed. Hagrid set a few more rock cakes on her plate, and she Softened each one of them before eating them (or giving a cake to Max from time to time) – and pretending to enjoy a very delicious meal. The tea was ready soon, and Hagrid served it to her in a surprisingly normal-sized cup. "I ge' visi'ors sometimes," he said to her shrewdly, and she blushed before sipping her tea – which was, thankfully, tasty.

"So – wha' go' yeh so upse' – tha' yeh decided to skip lunch?" Hagrid asked her gently.

"Oh – nothing much," she said, "I had a fight with my best friend – and she said some bad stuff. It's not like her to lash out like that," she added, more to herself than to him.

Hagrid nodded sagely and said, "Don' worry abou' it – she mus' be angry abou' summat else, and she musta taken it ou' on yeh." Lily nodded in assent, unconvinced. "She usually tells me if something's bothering her," she said. "It's – uncharacteristic, that's what it is."

"Funny yeh should use tha' word," said Hagrid, his brow creased, "Yer not the only one to say that a friend's bin actin' uncharac'eristic…"

"Really? What do you mean, Hagrid?" asked Lily quickly. What _did_ he mean?

"There was ano'her kid in here yes'erday evenin' – James Potter, do yeh know James?"

She felt a familiar twinge of irritation. "Yeah – what about Potter?" she asked him with forced pleasantness. Hagrid surveyed her doubtfully once again before continuing, "Well – James usually comes down to say hello every time he returns after them holidays, see?" She nodded, and he continued, "This time 'twas differen'. He was upse' – apparen'ly, his best mate, Sirius Black, fough' wi'h him when he was over a' the Potters' fer Chris'mas, and they're still figh'in'."

"Potter and Black – fighting?" asked Lily sceptically. "Come on, Hagrid – those two are inseparable!"

"Well, I dunno – tha's wha' James said. He also said Sirius hasn' bin himself these pas' few days," said Hagrid, his forehead wrinkled. "Plus – 'twas odd when James showed up alone yes'erday – Sirius usually comes along," he added.

"Now that you mention it – something was certainly odd today at Care of Magical Creatures," said Lily, remembering the incident with Black pushing Potter and storming off. She wasted no time in relating this to Hagrid, who said pensively, "Mebbe yeh should talk to James – sounds to me like yer havin' the same problem as him."

She snorted, and Hagrid surveyed her shrewdly once again. "No' on yer good side, is he? James?"

Lily blushed. "Well – he can be annoying sometimes – and by sometimes, I mean all the time," she said dryly, and Hagrid chuckled. "Yes, James can cause a bi' o' trouble every now an' then. I've had ter chase him away from that Forbidden Fores' so many times – bu' he's a good sort, James is. Decen' kid… Wi'h decen' paren's."

"Yeah – his parents are very nice," agreed Lily.

"Talk to him," advised Hagrid. "Mebbe yer friends have summat on their minds that' they're no' tellin' yeh, and James migh' be able to help yeh find out wha'."

"Hmm – I'll think about it, Hagrid," said Lily politely. She looked at her watch and let out an exclamation. "Oh, no – I've only got ten minutes to get to Transfiguration!" She stood up quickly. "Thanks a lot, Hagrid – it was really nice of you to invite me for lunch," she said, a little shyly.

Hagrid chuckled again. "Any'ime," he responded. "Don' hesi'ate to come whenever you like – door's always open!"

"Thanks, Hagrid," she said gratefully. Rubbing noses with Max one last time, she waved to the gamekeeper before stepping out of his hut and running all the way to the castle. _Maybe I_ will _talk to Potter_ , she thought as she ran up the stairs in the general direction of the Transfiguration classroom. It couldn't hurt, could it?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily avoided Liz for the rest of the day. She didn't have anything after Transfiguration, so after dinner, she took refuge to the library instead, working alone on her Transfiguration homework. She tried to concentrate, but her mind was distracted – the thought of going to Potter of her own accord, and asking for help was more than what she could bear. All the same, she had to do something – she wanted her best friend back.

At that very moment, someone walked into the library, and her gaze automatically went the door; with a jolt, she realized that it was Potter himself, accompanied by Rachel Burke – his pretty Hufflepuff girlfriend. They settled down at a table some distance from her, and opened their books, presumably to do their homework, too.

 _Well, I – never! Since when does_ Potter _come to the library to study?_ she wondered. She tried to concentrate on her work, but kept stealing glances at Potter and Rachel every now and then. Rachel seemed to be buried in her work, for she was busily scratching away her quill on a piece of parchment. Potter, on the contrary, looked bored – and about as distracted as she felt. He was running his hand through his hair absently, bent over his books – but Lily noticed that he hadn't turned a single page in the last five minutes. Obviously, there was something on his mind, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what…

As if he sensed her watching him, he turned in her direction and their eyes met. Lily quickly bent over her books, a blush spreading across her face, hoping against hope that he hadn't caught her staring… _Please don't come here_ , she thought desperately, but it was of no use.

"All right, Evans?" said a voice, and she gritted her teeth before turning to her right to find James Potter standing next to her, his usual lopsided grin on his face. He slid into the seat in front of her without invitation, and she couldn't suppress her irritation as she asked him, "Aren't you on some sort of study date, Potter?"

"Yep – but my homework's done, and I'm bored," he replied smoothly, and she raised her eyebrows. "Besides – it's distracting to have another girl stare at you when you're on a date," he added, and she went even redder. She decided to ignore that last comment. "So – you're telling me – that you've finished today's Transfiguration homework?" she asked him disbelievingly. He laughed and said, "Yep – it was easy, didn't take me more than half an hour."

"Well – good for you," she said tartly, "But the rest of us actually need to _study_ to do that assignment. So – why don't you do me a favour, and leave me alone?"

He considered her for a moment, before saying, "You were the one who was staring at me, Evans. And I'm not Sirius to assume that it was due to my ruggedly handsome looks." He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes. "You two bury the hatchet, then?" she asked, and his face darkened at once. "No," he said shortly. "But it'll be OK tomorrow…" He didn't sound very sure, though. "Why weren't you at lunch? Had a fight with Liz?" he asked her instead.

Completely thrown, she said, "How did you know that? Liz tell you?"

"No," he said again. "But she sat down and glowered at everybody while eating, and left without so much as a single word to anybody. She seemed to be in a foul mood – and when you didn't show, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"Well done," she said sarcastically. "What do you want, a prize?"

"Only if that prize is a kiss from you, my dear Lilykins," he replied, his eyes mischievous.

"You – have – a – _girlfriend_ ," hissed Lily through gritted teeth. "She's sitting _right_ over there – don't you have any shame?"

"Ah, come on, Lilykins – where's your sense of humour? A little flirting is healthy!" he said, grinning goofily at her. She brandished her quill at him and said belligerently, "Never call me that again, Potter."

"Fine, fine – I was only kidding," he said, holding up his hands in defeat. His expression became serious as he asked again, "So, you and Liz – what was that all about?"

"None of your business," she said rudely. She couldn't help it; he was irritating her again… Before he could articulate any sort of response, she added, "Why don't you go back to your date? It's rude to keep a lady waiting, Potter." She felt a slight pang of guilt as she spoke; she was ignoring Hagrid's advice, but the bloke was so damn infuriating!

"Yeah, yeah – I'm going, there's no need to be rude," he said, clearly put out. "But bear in mind that if you'd asked me what Sirius and I quarrelled about, I would've told you – no qualms." He made as if to get up, and she gritted her teeth. Steeling herself, she said, "Wait – stop. I'll tell you why Liz and I fought." He sat back down, eyeing her curiously.

"Liz – well, Liz has been acting oddly for the past couple of months," she began awkwardly. "I first noticed when she did that Sloth Grip Roll before catching the Snitch upside-down at the Quidditch match – I dunno, it looked so – so _unnecessary_ – _what?_ " she added, her eyes narrowed, noticing him staring at her with a mixture of befuddlement and admiration.

"Oh, nothing," he said quickly, a little flustered, "It's just that – you _know_ what a Sloth Grip Roll is?" His hazel eyes betrayed astonishment, and she laughed. "Liz told me what that move was called – and I immediately looked for a book in the library to read up more about it – but the point is, Potter, that it was so unlike her – she doesn't show off! I mean, that's more of what you do, isn't it?" she shot at him teasingly.

He grinned and said, "If you're good at something, a little showing off doesn't hurt – but you're right, Liz doesn't like the attention so much."

"Then there were a few things, here and there," Lily continued. "I dunno – she seems to lose her temper more quickly these days, which goes against her tranquil nature…"

"That _is_ weird," he agreed. "Did you try asking her about it?"

"That's why we quarrelled, Potter," she replied sharply, narrowing her eyes again at the memory. "I asked her why she was acting like this, and she went off on a tangent – completely missed the point, and said a lot of hurtful things."

Potter's brow was furrowed in concentration. "I see," was all he said though.

"What about you and Black, then?" she asked curiously. "I noticed it when we met at Marlene's too – something wasn't quite right."

"Perceptive, aren't you?" he said with grudging admiration. "Sirius – I dunno, he's been acting really cocky these days."

"Cockier than usual?" she asked with a hint of amusement, and he rolled his eyes before saying, "Yeah – of course, usually I'd find this amusing, but there was that one incident – we were scaring Mrs Norris by making barking noises –"

"Real mature," she interrupted dryly.

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask you," he shot back, and she flushed a little. _I suppose I deserved that one_ , she thought. "Go on," she prodded.

"Anyway, we saw Flich around the corner, and decided to run for it – but Sirius, thinking it would be fun, decided to trip Peter. If it hadn't been for Peeves, who was passing by, we'd have been caught – but Peeves zoomed up to Filch and grabbed his nose, thereby buying us some time to get away – inadvertently helping us, I might add."

Lily found herself laughing at Peeves's latest attempt to annoy Filch. She hadn't had too many encounters with the poltergeist, and she was thankful for it. Potter continued, "But it was stupid and thoughtless from Sirius, tripping one of our own like that. I rowed with him once we were safely back in our dorm, and even Mark, who played mediator, sided with me. Mark's all right – quiet kid, always with Jane, but always ready to make a joke or two every time I run into him."

"And you're saying it's out of character for Black to do that?" she asked, and he nodded vehemently. "Obviously – the Marauders are all for one and one for all!" he said with conviction.

"I think you're confusing Marauders with Musketeers," she said, smiling slightly as she remembered Alexandre Dumas's famous classic. "Who?" he asked blankly, and she shook her head. "Never mind – so, it was this one incident?"

"Nah, there were other small ones – like that day in Potions, when he kept making fun of Pete as Slughorn spoke to us," he replied.

"Oh, yes – I remember that day. You and Severus – the Dynamic Potions Duo," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. He frowned and said, "Stuff it, Evans – not my fault that your so-called friend is an ugly, greasy git."

"Watch it, Potter," she said dangerously. Then, remembering something else, she asked him further, "How'd you get antlers on you, anyway?"

"Marauder's secret, Evans," he said mysteriously, and she rolled her eyes. He continued, "Anyway – the point here is, you and I both have best friends who are acting weird – d'you want to find out why?"

"Do you even have to ask?" she said, her spirits rising in spite of herself at the thought of tackling another puzzling problem.

"Great, it's settled, then," he said, grinning. "You and I – we're going to get to the bottom of this."

"Hang on, Potter," she said, frowning, "If you and I are going to work together, there will be a couple of ground rules. For starters – there will be absolutely _no_ flirting from your side. Got that?"

He sighed. "You just want to take the fun out of life, Evans!" he said with mock-hurt. "But fine – you have a deal. Anything more, ma'am?" he added sardonically.

"You – nah, that's it, that's my only condition," she said, shaking her head.

"Easy enough," he said, with a lopsided smirk.

She nodded imperiously at him before saying, "Now go back to your date, Potter – that poor girl will start to get all hot and bothered. Of course – she won't say anything, she's a Hufflepuff, after all," she added sympathetically. "They tend to bear their pain in silence."

"You sure know a lot about them," Potter said, raising his eyebrows. Adjusting his glasses, he continued in a whisper, "Rachel's all right, I suppose – she's pretty, she's kind, and she's a good kisser –"

"Yuck – too much information, Potter," she said, making a face. But Potter continued as if she hadn't interrupted, "—but she's not the girl I'm going to marry. Nah – that would be you, Evans." The crooked grin was back as he surveyed her.

"Nonsense!" she hissed, her tone hostile. "The day I marry you will be the day the sun rises in the west!"

"Mark my words – that day will come," he said confidently. Her anger rose, and she said aggressively, " _What_ did I just tell you – about _no_ flirting? D'you think that _no_ means _yes_ , Potter?"

"We haven't started working together yet," he pointed out, his smirk widening.

 _He's so infuriating!_ she thought. "Ugh, don't make me regret this, Potter! Now, that poor girl's waiting for you – so, sod off!" Potter obeyed, and stood up.

"Your wish is my command, ma'am," he said, mock-bowing to her. He got up and re-joined his girlfriend, who was staring at Lily with a most hurt expression. _Great_ , she thought sarcastically as she smiled what she hoped was in a reassuring sort of way at the girl, whose features relaxed at once as Potter joined her. She shook her head and began to pack her bag, deciding to do the remainder of her homework in the common room.

Once she entered her dormitory, however, she could sense that something was wrong; the atmosphere was ominous as she spied Marlene sitting on her bed, staring out of the window, her face ashen. Next to her, Mary had a comforting hand on Marlene's shoulder, while Liz was patting her back absently, her usually stoic face rather serious.

"What happened – what's wrong?" she asked them, pulling up Marlene's desk chair and plopping down on it immediately. Liz beckoned to her at once, and the two girls walked towards the door of the dormitory. Once there, Liz whispered gravely, "It's her Dad, Lily – he's missing."

Lily was shocked. She'd met Mr McKinnon over the Christmas holidays, and she'd liked the jolly, happy-go-lucky man. She was deeply saddened to know that he was missing. "Does anyone know anything? As in – his last mission, last person to see him – anything?" she asked Liz in an undertone.

"Nope," Liz replied grimly. "Marlene just got a letter from her Mum, explaining – they got the news this afternoon. I expect it'll be in tomorrow's Prophet… Mr McKinnon's a high-ranking official, his disappearance is not going to go unnoticed."

"How's Marlene?" Lily asked gently. Liz shook her head and said, "How d'you expect? She hasn't said a word since she got that letter – nothing, zero, zilch!"

"Let me talk to her," Lily offered, and walked back to where Marlene was sitting. "Marlene?" she said gently. "Mar – talk to us, say something!" She sat on Marlene's other side and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "I know you're worried about your Dad – but trust me, he's tough. He'll be back soon," she said, not caring how hollow her words were. She ploughed on, "And don't worry about your Mum – Allan will stay there, won't he?" Marlene nodded briefly, her cobalt-blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Look, we're here for you, Mar," said Mary delicately. "Whatever you need…"

"And like Lily said, your Dad will be back soon," said Liz reassuringly, holding Marlene's hand and squeezing it. "He will…"

"Come here," said Lily, and pulled Marlene into a hug. At that, Marlene's resolve broke, and she finally burst into tears over Lily's shoulder. "It's OK – it's OK," Lily whispered to her soothingly, rubbing her friend's back and feeling utterly helpless – what more could she do? They stayed that way, not moving, until Marlene calmed down enough to go to sleep, following which they went to bed themselves. But Lily found sleep hard to come by…

It wasn't fair. Marlene's Dad was one of the good people – they shouldn't be made to suffer. He had a family…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marlene going through a difficult time meant that Lily and Liz's animosity was temporarily forgotten as January faded into February. Though they hadn't talked about their quarrel, they were friendly and cordial with each other, at least on a superficial level. Lily spent more time with Severus, working in the library on their homework. Their lessons were getting harder; Lily took quite some time to get the hang of Cross-Species transfiguration (which involved live objects, now that they'd mastered the basics) – her snail, which she was supposed to turn into a sea slug, remained resolutely static as she struggled to get the spell right (something Potter, Liz and Black accomplished within fifteen minutes, to her annoyance), which didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

"It's the way you're moving your wand, Evans – you need to do a simple left-to-right movement, not a jab!" Potter said to her during the third lesson since they'd started the snail-to-slug cross-species switch. He was in the process of turning his mouse into a gerbil, having advanced further than the rest of the class.

"Oh, thanks, Potter – that'll save my life, that will," she shot back at him with gritted teeth. Annoyed that he'd mastered the spell without even trying, she wasn't feeling particularly friendly towards him, despite their agreement the previous month. His eyes narrowed at her retort, and he shrugged and said, "Fine – ask Liz, then." He turned to his mouse and said, " _Gerbilus Permutus!_ "

There was a flash of light, and the mouse in front of him turned into a gerbil. Lily frowned in frustration; she would fall behind the rest of the class at that rate. "How did you do that?" she asked him sharply. He turned to her, grinning, and replied, "Like I said, Evans – left-to-right!"

"Well done, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, who arrived at that moment. "I just wish you'd pay more attention to class than playing the fool all the time."

"I've played the fool a lot less this year, Professor!" Potter replied, a little indignantly. Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows and said, "What rubbish – if this is less, I shudder to think what's usual!" Turning to her, the teacher said, "Right – how about you try, Miss Evans? Nearly everyone's got it – don't want you to lag, do we?"

 _This keeps getting better and better_ , she thought venomously. "Er – all right, Professor," she said nervously, and pointed her wand at the snail. _Right-to-left_ , a small part of her brain said, and she tried to replicate thought into action as she said firmly, " _Limaxus Permutus!_ "

There was a flash of light, and to her relief and astonishment, a green sea slug sat on the table in front of her, stoic and calm. "I did it!" she exclaimed happily.

"It's about time," said Professor McGonagall wryly. "Potter has already advanced to mice, while you, Miss Evans, still need to cover lizards and hummingbirds to get there. Come on, girl – you'll have to be faster than that!"

"Yes, Professor," she said meekly, her happiness evaporating.

"I could help her with that, Professor," Potter said earnestly from behind Professor McGonagall, who surveyed him for a moment before saying, "Well, Potter – if that'll stop you from your childish pranks, go ahead, boy." With a nod to Lily, she walked away to see how the rest of the class was doing.

"I don't remember asking for your help, Potter," she said to him crossly.

"Doesn't matter – I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart!" he replied, grinning crookedly at her.

"Show-off," muttered Lily, rolling her eyes.

"I heard that," he said, with his smile growing wider.

"Why don't you go annoy someone else, Potter?" she said, vexed.

"Nah – this is more fun!" he replied blithely. "Now, if you'd said yes to me last term – I wouldn't have been annoying you, would I?"

"You prat," she said, facing him squarely, "What is your problem? You have a _girlfriend_ , for heaven's sake!"

"Not anymore, I don't," he replied, his smile faltering ever so slightly. "She's pretty – but a bit dim, if you ask me. And I don't get on well with dull people…"

"Because you're so interesting yourself?" she asked him, her tone mocking.

"First sensible thing you've said all day," he replied airily, and she rolled her eyes. Shaking her head, she went back to trying to Transfigure the baby lizard Professor McGonagall had given her – something which proved to be difficult, given her fear and dislike of lizards. She walked to dinner after their lesson feeling exhausted and repulsed in equal measure; the baby lizard had tried to climb up her wand, and she'd shaken it off, only for it to land on the wall, which it happily ascended – until she used a quick Summoning Charm to force it morosely back on the table in front of her.

"Gah, I _hate_ lizards!" she burst out as they all sat down for dinner. Liz laughed and said cheekily, "Well, we know now what to get you for your next birthday!"

"If – if you get me a lizard –" she spluttered, and Liz grinned wickedly. "Oh, relax, will you? I won't be doing that! Why wait until next year?" And before Lily could comprehend her best friend's words, Liz quickly chucked something brown at her. She screamed as the reptile climbed over her robes and to her face, until it simply flew off her. She stopped shouting and looked around; Remus stood next to her, holding a struggling, brown-and-white lizard. Around her, people chortled before going back to their food.

"It's a toy," Remus informed her, his brown eyes betraying only a hint of amusement. "It's just a toy, Lily – with a simple Locomotion Charm on it. Here – _Finite!_ " he added, pointing his wand at the lizard, which went lifeless at once. "It's plastic," he said, holding it out on his palm for her to see.

She examined it before rounding on Liz. "That wasn't funny!" she shouted at her best friend, who was laughing so hard that tears were falling from her sea-green eyes. "I disagree!" she said, choking a little. "You should've seen your face!" Remus looked at her apologetically before going off to join the other Marauders, who were sitting further down the table.

Lily was just about to retort something when Mary said patiently, "If you lot will finally act your age – Marlene has some news!" They turned to Marlene inquiringly, and Lily saw that she was holding a letter, delivered in the evening once again. Her face was alight with happiness as she said brightly, "My Dad – he's been found! He's in St Mungo's now – but Mum says he's going to make a full recovery! I'm going to ask Dumbledore if I can go visit him!"

"That's wonderful, Marlene!" Lily exclaimed, hugging her friend with relief. Liz and Mary followed suit, and Marlene looked elated as she attacked her food with great gusto. _Thank God he's all right_ , thought Lily. She had been really worried…

At that moment, Jane came and sat with them; her demeanour was solemn and serious. "Did you hear?" she said in a hushed tone, "That Ravenclaw girl – what's her name, now? Yes – Sarah O'Shea – she was attacked this morning. I dunno what spell was used – but rumour is that it was the Cruciatus Curse – the pain curse, y'know?"

"Oh my God – that's awful!" exclaimed Mary. "Who –?"

"Again, that bit's sketchy – but people are pointing fingers at her best friend, Hannah MacFarlane," said Jane, with a conspiratorial air. "Seems crazy – doesn't it?"

"Yeah – why would her best friend attack her for no reason?" wondered Lily.

" _If_ her best friend attacked her, that is," countered Liz. "After all, it's sketchy – isn't it?"

"MacFarlane – why does she sound familiar?" said Mary, her brow creased thoughtfully.

"Er – because she happens to be dating Fabian Prewett?" said Jane, her eyebrows raised as if this information was public knowledge. Lily suddenly remembered their last Hogsmeade weekend; Hannah MacFarlane had to be the blonde girl she'd seen Fabian kissing – yuck, that wasn't a mental image she wanted to have. She quickly focused on the conversation at the table.

"Ooh, I hope we don't have attacks like last year," said Marlene, shuddering. "That Marcus bloke was bad enough – sweet-talking, good-looking, but a snake on the inside!"

"Like all the other Slytherins, you mean," said Liz with a matter-of-fact tone, before looking at Lily steadily and continuing, "Of course, not everyone here agrees…"

Lily felt her face grow hot. Seriously, did she have to say that now? Thankfully, she was almost done eating. "I have to go – I'll see you later," she said, and walked away before she could lose her temper again. Liz was being downright malicious…

A sudden thought came to her. Didn't Sarah O'Shea's case sound like her own – without the (she gulped) Cruciatus Curse? Best friend attacking her? She decided to hang around and wait for Potter. She wanted to get his opinion on this – was it a disease affecting select few people in the castle, causing them to turn on their friends?

She didn't have to wait too long; as the Marauders walked by where she stood, she called out, "Potter!"

They all stopped, and Potter turned towards her. His hand immediately went to his hair as he said, "All right, Evans?"

"Top of the world," she said, her tone dry. "Can I have a word?"

"Sure," he replied, "What about?"

"Er – I have a question about Switching Spells," she lied baldly, and indicated with a slight nod that she wanted to speak to him alone. To her chagrin, Black wolf-whistled, and said teasingly to Potter, "I told you you'd thank me, mate – all the best!" He glanced at her as he spoke, and she realized at once what he was implying. She could feel a blush spreading across her face, and she resisted the urge to hex him. To her surprise, Potter shot Black a furious glare as he said, "You lot go ahead, I'll see you later." Black coughed meaningfully, but Remus whisked him away before anything more could happen. Potter scowled before following her a little way away.

"What?" he asked her in a tone that made it clear that he didn't want to talk about Black's suggestive comment.

"I heard something that may be important," she began, and briefly told him about Sarah O'Shea, and her own theory about the disease which caused people to snap at their friends. He listened attentively, and when she was done, he asked, "So – what does this have to do with Switching Spells?"

She opened her mouth in indignation, only to find him smirking at her. "Only joking, Evans," he said smoothly. "C'mon – d'you want to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"So you think there's merit in my theory?" she asked him hopefully.

"Well – hard to say, but it won't hurt to find out if this is similar to what we're experiencing. People don't change their behaviour out of the blue – though there is no such disease that compels them to do so – not getting along with their best friends is too specific a symptom, see?" he added, grinning. They began to walk towards the Hospital Wing.

"I had to ask – due to my knowledge of magical illnesses," she replied. "Or lack thereof," she added as an afterthought, her tone wry, and he laughed.

"Worth a try," he replied, "Maybe we could read up on this symptom…"

"I'll take care of that," she said at once, and he grinned. "I was just about to suggest that – more time for you at your second home, eh?" She rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she said shortly, and he chuckled again.

Once inside the Hospital Wing, they quickly went right next to Sarah O'Shea's bed. The sandy-haired sixth-year Ravenclaw was awake, reading a stack of notes. "Hi," said Lily in what she hoped was a cheerful, comforting sort of voice, "How are you doing?" Sarah looked up, and a look of confusion appeared in her blue eyes.

"Ah – do oi know ya?" she asked with a distinctive Irish accent, regarding them with raised eyebrows. Potter coughed slightly and said, "My name's James Potter – this is Lily Evans. We'd like to talk to you – we heard you're in the Hospital Wing because apparently, your best friend attacked you, and we'd like to know what happened."

Lily marvelled at Potter's straightforwardness. She'd seen him speak bluntly before – he was never one to beat around the bush. Indeed, she sometimes wished she shared his no-nonsense attitude.

"Well – oi don't understand what it is to ya," replied Sarah, frowning. It struck Lily at that point that there was no reason for Sarah to not be suspicious of them – she'd be suspicious too, if two strangers approached her and asked for information. She decided to go with the truth.

"Er – you see, both our best friends are acting – odd," she ventured. "So when we heard – we want to know if there's any sort of connection. Say, for instance, has your best friend been acting weirdly for some time now?"

Sarah's brow relaxed, and she said thoughtfully, "Ya see – me best friend and oi – we've been friends for a lon' time, see? But then a few months ago, she started behavin' all odd – she'd get annoyed at trifles, and she'd even jinx someone with minimum provocation. And yesterday –" her eyes filled with tears, "—when oi tried stoppin' her from attacking someone else – she attacked me instead!"

Next to her, she noticed Potter stiffen. "What hex did she use?" he asked tersely. "It wasn't the Cruciatus Curse, was it?"

"What? No!" exclaimed Sarah passionately. "She'd never do that – are ya insane?"

"Sorry – sorry! We, er, heard a rumour –" Potter began apologetically, but Sarah cut him off. "Well – ya heard, wrong, didn't ya? Nah, she used some form of Transfiguration on me – like a tail, for instance," she said, shaking her head. "She must've been thinkin' she was bein' creative… But I had to stay here for the entire day today. I hope Madam Pomfrey releases me soon."

"Yeah, she can be a little fussy," said Lily, smiling at the older girl. "But she wants to make sure that you're OK…"

"True," said Sarah shortly. Then she frowned and said further, "Didn't ya say your friends were actin' strange?"

"Er – yeah," said Lily _. I guess we have to volunteer some information on our own now that she's told us all this_ , she thought. "My friend – and Potter's friend, too – have been acting like your friend, from the sound of it. We're trying to find out what the problem is."

"Well – ya better hurry, then – before they fly off the handle and attack ya," said Sarah solemnly. "Ya know what, I'll help ya – once I get out of here."

"Er – that would be great, Sarah," said Potter, though he didn't sound too enthusiastic. Sarah didn't seem to notice, because she said, "I want me best friend back."

"Me, too," echoed Lily. "I dunno what's gotten into them – but we _will_ get to the bottom of this. Thanks for talking to us." Sarah waved her hand dismissively and said, "Let me know what ya find out."

"Sure," said Potter. "You better rest, Sarah – we'll see you later, OK? Bye!" Sarah nodded and waved them goodbye before going back to her stack of notes.

The two of them left the Hospital Wing and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. "Well – that was interesting," said Potter, "Sounded familiar, didn't it?"

"Yep," agreed Lily. "Maybe you should write to your Mum – she's a Healer, isn't she? She may be able to help us."

"I'll see what I can do," he said, nodding. As the portrait hole came in sight, however, he stopped.

"What is it, Potter?" she asked him, "You don't plan on sleeping out here, do you?"

"Funny," he replied with a grimace. "No – I just wanted to tell you the reason I split up with Rachel. It was because of Sirius."

"Really? What did he do?" asked Lily curiously.

"Well – he split up with her on my behalf," said Potter. "Except for one tiny little detail – I _didn't_ tell him to."

"Then – why did he?" she asked, nonplussed.

"He has his reasons, or at least that's what he said," replied Potter. Lily had a funny feeling about what Black's reasons were, which no doubt explained his behaviour earlier that evening. Potter ploughed on, saying, "Rachel was really cut up – she wouldn't talk to me even after I told her I had nothing to do with it – so I just gave her up. Too dim and dramatic for me." He shook his head.

"Huh. A few months ago, Black wouldn't even split up with his own girlfriend – and now, he's splitting up other people without a second thought," said Lily pensively.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Potter. "I had a go at him after that – but he stands by what he did, and keeps saying I'll thank him later!"

"Well – if you ask me, this is important – how did he go from drama-hating to drama-loving in a few months?" asked Lily, her brow furrowed.

"Why d'you think I mentioned it, Evans?" he asked testily. "I know it's important – whatever's wrong with him, behavioural change is a definite symptom. There has to be an explanation…" He started walking again, and she followed him into the common room.

 _He's right, there has to be an explanation_ , thought Lily. _But what is it?_

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	39. Chapter 38

Thanks for the reviews, SiriusJamesLupin, Basima Saif, and Sri849. You're all too kind, thanks for following and reviewing this story!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight**

 **The Widerwille Potion**

Lily made no progress in her endeavour to find out the reason behind Liz's and Black's strange behaviour as March arrived and the last of the snow melted away. Save for Liz's bad-tempered quarrel with Kevin Bell on the Valentine's Day Hogsmeade weekend (which eventually led to them splitting up), life at Hogwarts went on as usual. Liz had spent a fair bit of time crying after her breakup, and it was through the combined efforts of Lily, Marlene and Mary that she was slowly regaining her cheer – but Lily suspected that it was mostly because of Ravenclaw utterly flattening Slytherin near the end of February, effectively ending Slytherin's chances of winning the Quidditch Cup.

Their lessons had started getting harder and harder, too. To Lily's relief, she'd been able to master the Cross-Species Switching Spell in Transfiguration quicker than she'd feared, although she had to accept grudgingly that Potter's advice to her had helped her a lot. She'd been writing her essays in the library one Sunday afternoon when Potter had come along with Peter, whom he was coaching with Transfiguration. On spotting Lily, he'd asked if she'd like to watch, and maybe pick up a few tips – something she'd agreed to against her instinct. But it had helped her, watching Potter teach Peter – and it had accelerated her own process of learning the spell.

In Herbology, they were learning spells such as the Herbivicus Charm, which increased the growth rate of plants and flowers, and the Saccharum Charm, which increased their rate of food production. Professor Sprout was being very particular about the plants on which these charms could be used, cautioning the class that applying the Charms too many times could shorten the plant's lifespan, and in case of carnivorous plants, make them more aggressive. This proved to be true in case of the Devil's Snare, which preferred a dark environment: two Hufflepuffs, Allan Lewis and Mandy Crawford, used the Saccharum Charm on it simultaneously, resulting in the plant attacking them, and it was only through fast Fire Charms ( _Incendio!_ ) from Lily, Professor Sprout and Gavin Johnson that had saved the day. Professor Sprout, mightily impressed with Lily and Gavin, had awarded Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fifty points each and had proceeded to praise them for the next fifteen minutes for their quick thinking, much to their embarrassment.

In Charms, they'd finished with Banishing Charms and were moving on to Colour-Change Charms; in Potions, Slughorn was teaching them Sense-Enhancing Potions (Mary drank her own incorrectly brewed potion to test it and ended up going deaf for an hour or so, much to everyone's amusement); History of Magic was as boring as ever, and Astronomy was proving to be harder than before, with them having to do detailed studies of the zodiac constellations. In Divination, after Prediction Diaries and Xylomancy, they were now studying Astrology and star-chart predictions, which went hand-in-glove with their Astronomy lessons. Lily had developed an aptitude for Arithmancy, with Professor Scalar, their tall, bearded teacher, being mightily impressed with her. Lily could spot patterns in numbers quicker than anyone else, which helped her as they studied Numerology. In Care of Magical Creatures, they were learning about Fire Crabs; the Crabs' warm bodies were a welcome relief in the cold weather. Lily had had a lot less trouble with her Crab than the others; it seemed to be a well-behaved creature, and seemed to like it when she used the Fire Spurt Spell on it, jumping around, dodging the fireballs but enjoying itself after actually getting hit by one.

In Defence Against the Dark Arts, after successfully teaching everyone the Elemental Spurt spells, Professor Malfoy had moved on to teaching them several defensive spells: the Obscuring Charm ( _Obscuro!_ ) which caused a temporary blindfold to appear in front of one's opponent's eyes; the Conjunctivitis Curse ( _Adoloculis!_ ), which caused one's opponent's eyes to burn and swell up; the Sleeping Charm ( _Somnus!_ ), which made one's opponent drowsy; and the Shield Charm ( _Protego!_ ), which resulted in a temporary shield to protect one against minor to moderate unfriendly spells. They practised Stunning and Disarming, too; Professor Malfoy seemed hell-bent on making them Champion Duellers.

"We have all made good progress," she said in her soft voice at the beginning of a class in mid-March. "Until Easter, we will master the Elemental Cutters – and beyond that, until the end of the school year, we will be studying the Elemental Waves. Somewhere in between, I will demonstrate what Unforgivable Curses are, too – you all need to know the kind of spells that are favourites amongst Dark Magic practitioners."

Lily shivered slightly; she wasn't particularly keen on learning Dark Magic. She had no desire to see the Cruciatus Curse in action once again – Bellatrix Black had been kind enough to demonstrate it to her nearly three years ago. However, Professor Malfoy had proved to be a competent teacher so far, albeit of a snide and condescending kind. Lily was still unable to shake off the feeling of the teacher's bias against Muggleborns, a feeling enhanced by the fact that Professor Malfoy usually picked her as a guinea-pig for new spells – and seemed to take a bit of pleasure as she demonstrated each spell on Lily, though without causing her any harm.

"Right – let us begin," she said, and conjured a table in front of them. A second wave of her wand, and a few stones appeared on the table, too. "Now – watch closely. I'm going to demonstrate each Elemental Cutter. They all work the same way, cutting into the first thing that they encounter, but what makes them special are their secondary effects. For instance, the Flame Cutter – of the element Fire, obviously – it burns the target, and may set it on fire if the material is combustible. The Ice Cutter – that's Water, manifesting itself as ice – it acts as a heat sink and causes freezing. The Rock Cutter, for Earth – it's the slowest, but apart from cutting, it causes a lot of pain and feels like you've run into a mountain or a wall. The Wind Cutter, for Air – this one is the fastest, and hits earlier than the others. Plus, it also has the advantage of being invisible. And lastly, the Light Cutter – as it approaches, it's a brilliant beam of light, so it blinds your opponent, too, making it hard to dodge. That is why it becomes important to recognize the situation in a duel and use the appropriate Cutter – because while it is a potent attacking weapon, it dissipates immediately after it has hit the target. You get only one shot – make sure to hit your mark. Remember the purpose, the second D – Damage."

An ominous silence followed Professor Malfoy's monologue. She surveyed the class before saying, "All right – now watch me demonstrate. This is important – because these stones signify the element Earth. Therefore – based on the Elemental Pentagon, each of the elements will cause varying damage to them. Now – who can tell me which Cutter will work best on these stones? Let's see – yes, Miss Huntington?"

"Water and Air, Professor," said Liz promptly, and Professor Malfoy nodded approvingly. "Correct, girl – ten points to Gryffindor," she said, and Lily exchanged a look of surprise with Marlene; Professor Malfoy awarded points to Gryffindor very rarely. "What will happen when the Rock Cutter hits the stone, Miss Evans?" the Professor asked her directly, and she stood up and replied, "Er – it'll act normally, I think – not strong enough as the Wind Cutter but not weak enough as the Flame Cutter – right?"

"Are you asking me, Miss Evans, or are you answering the question?" Professor Malfoy asked her patronisingly. "I'm answering the question," she said tersely. Professor Malfoy surveyed her for a moment before saying in that same condescending way, "I see. In that case, your answer is quite correct, Miss Evans; the Rock Cutter, while no doubt effective on stones, is not as effective as the Wind or Ice Cutter. Moving on…"

Lily sat back down, seething. She deserved to win points for Gryffindor as much as Liz did, but she was sure that the Professor's bias towards purebloods was preventing her from being fair to them all. But there was no doubt about the teacher's capabilities, so she swallowed her pride and concentrated on what was being taught instead. Professor Malfoy was standing next to the table with the stones on it, her wand raised.

"Watch carefully," she instructed. "The Flame Cutter – _Flamma Dromonem!_ " she exclaimed, and made a whip-like movement with her wrist. At once, a small, semi-circular ring of fire erupted from her wand, and travelled towards the stone quickly; she saw it hit the stone and cut some way through it before dissipating. "Next – we have the Wind Cutter – _Ventus Dromonem!_ " shouted Professor Malfoy, and the class let out a collective, hushed 'ooohhh' of wonder as the second stone was suddenly sliced in half. "Very potent," said Professor Malfoy. "Remember – Air beats Earth."

The teacher proceeded to cut all the stones with different Elemental Cutters, to varying degrees of success: the Ice Cutter was nearly as good as the Wind Cutter, while the Light Cutter produced a result just like the Flame Cutter. The Rock Cutter performed slightly better. "Now – I want everyone to divide yourselves in pairs, and measure the length of these cuts. And as for homework – prepare a table listing these lengths, and write an essay about how each element performs against Earth, from best to worst," said Professor Malfoy in her soft voice. "I'm telling you to put careful thought into this – because it will help you break an Elemental Shield of Earth."

Drinking all this information in, Lily looked at Liz, indicating that they pair up; however, to her enormous surprise and discomfort, Liz said, "I think I'll partner up with Marlene – what d'you think, Mar?"

"What? Oh, er – sure," said Marlene, caught off-guard. She exchanged a hasty look with Mary, who said smoothly, "Yeah, come on, Lil – let's work together on this essay!" Lily nodded and smiled with false enthusiasm, her head in a turmoil. Why was Liz unwilling to work with her?

She spent the rest of the lesson neatly tabulating the length of each cut with Mary and discussing how they should proceed with their essay, but her heart wasn't in it. She was still hurt with Liz's coldness. _Nah, I'm not going to ask her what that's all about_ , she decided to herself. _She'll just snap at me…_

Had she been less distracted, she would've noticed Potter working with Peter with the same inattentiveness as her…

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The third Saturday of March dawned bright and sunny. It was great weather for Quidditch, or so Liz and Marlene had been jabbering away in Lily's ears since the morning. "Yeah, I can feel it – we're going to win today, we'll have one hand on the Cup already!" exclaimed Liz as they all walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Liz," Marlene chided her gently. "Come on – confidence is good, but overconfidence isn't!"

"Your Mum teach you that? Such a Mummy's girl, Mar," said Liz, her tone mischievous but her gaze slightly mocking. "Now, now…" began Lily, but Marlene snorted. "Just make sure to fly out of the sun, and you'll be fine," she replied, with supreme indifference to Liz's earlier comment. Lily felt her respect for Marlene rise. Clearly, she too had sensed that something was wrong…

"Ooh, look – something's up," said Mary, oblivious to the tension between Liz, Marlene and Lily. They followed her gaze to the Gryffindor table, where Gideon seemed to be in a serious discussion with Black, Potter and the Keeper, Adam Wright. Wrinkling her forehead, Lily walked towards them with her friends, wondering what was going on.

"—but why?" Potter asked Gideon just as they all walked up and took seats along the table.

Gideon shook his head and said, "I dunno – he's just refusing to play! I tried persuading him, tried telling him to swallow his pride for the team – but he just won't listen. I tried everything… So now, we've only got one option, and that's you, Sirius. Robe up."

"What – you're kidding, right? _Me?_ " Black asked him, taken aback.

"Yep – I heard that you wanted to try out for Beater, but because there weren't any spots this year, you tried out for Chaser. But now – as much as I hate to say this two hours before the match – we have a spot open, Sirius – and you can use Fab's broomstick. So – robe up. Unless you're too scared?" Gideon added, a slight smile on his face. At that, Black stood up. "Don't worry, Gid – it'll be Sirius Black to the rescue! Just give me a set of robes – I reckon I can shrink them a bit to fit me – and I'll put in _such_ a performance that'll make me a shoo-in next year!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Wow, so much for modesty," said Lily, her tone dry. Mary and Marlene laughed, but Liz was unimpressed. "Come on – give the bloke some credit, he's ready to play two hours before the game, without any practice, too!" she said haughtily.

"I don't _need_ to practise, Hunt – I'm _that_ good!" said Black emphatically.

"Oh, yeah? Then – why don't you prove it? Go on – skedaddle!" said Gideon, grinning. "Meet us in the changing rooms in a few minutes so that I can give you a crash course on all of our tactics." He waved his wand, and a set of scarlet-and-gold robes appeared as if out of nowhere. Black grabbed them at once, and exchanging overhead claps with Remus and Peter, shot off gleefully. Gideon shook his head, grabbed a final piece of toast, and said, "Changing rooms in fifteen minutes, everyone – today's pre-match talk is going to be longer than usual. See you all there! C'mon, Adam," he added to the hitherto silent Gryffindor Keeper, and the two of them stood up and began to walk away.

Lily noted that Potter didn't seem too thrilled about Black joining the team, even if it was only temporary. From what she'd heard, it seemed as if Fabian was refusing to play, and that he'd quarrelled with Gideon, too. This was odd. The Prewett twins were as inseparable as Potter and Black –

 _Hang on_ , she thought. Could it be – that Fabian was suffering from the same thing as Liz and Black? _It certainly explained his fight with Gideon_ , the logical part of her brain said. From what she knew about Fabian Prewett, the boy was obsessed with Quidditch. Hadn't Liz once told her how good he was with Quidditch stats? So… Why would he refuse to play in such an important game due to a stupid quarrel with his brother?

Perhaps Remus noticed her preoccupation, for her said, "Penny for your thoughts, Lily?"

She smiled at him distractedly. "I wonder what's gotten into Fab."

His brow clouded over at once. "From what Gid was saying, Fab and he had a row – and now, Fab's refusing to play. Gid wouldn't tell us why they fought, but it must've been serious if Fab's sitting this one out."

"Oh, don't worry – we'll be fine with _or_ without Fab," said Liz cockily, now sipping her tea. "We're all good players – we'll pull through! Besides, Hufflepuff are a pushover – we're loads better!"

"Wow, Liz seems to be stealing your lines, Potter," said Lily dryly, with a glance at the bespectacled boy, who was eating his breakfast with uncharacteristic silence. Potter rolled his eyes as Liz shot her a glare. "Well, she's not wrong – we can beat Hufflepuff in our sleep, see?" he said, with his trademark crooked grin. For a second Lily wondered if the grin was fake, because he'd been brooding only moments earlier…

"Hear, hear!" said Liz, finishing the last of her tea. "Well – I'm headed down to the changing rooms, you lot – so better finish up soon, Gideon's waiting!" She grabbed her broom, gave them all a cheery wave, and left.

Lily stole another glance at Potter, who had reverted to his brooding state. "Come on, Potter – it'll be OK, Black isn't that bad, is he?" she asked him, rather bracingly. He grimaced and said, "We're a Beater down, Evans – come on, no one can just wake up one day and play for the team, it takes practice! No one's _that_ good!"

"Well – Sirius is, isn't he?" Peter pointed out, speaking up for the first time. "Just trust him, James – he'll come through!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Potter said in an undertone, so that only Lily could hear. "What I don't understand – is how Fab could behave this way! I mean – it's disrespectful to the team, to his brother, to all our efforts!" he burst out, a little savagely.

"Well – how about we worry about that _after_ the match, Potter?" Lily said soothingly, but giving him a significant look. To her relief, she saw a flash of realization in his eyes, and understood that the message had gone through. "Right now – we have a match to win!" she said firmly.

There was a rather stunned silence, as Remus, Peter, Potter, Marlene and Mary stared at her with disbelief. She felt her cheeks grow pink. "What?" she asked, a little defensively. They all exchanged looks, until Mary said, "We, er, didn't really peg you as one to say things akin to Quidditch supersedes all else, Lily."

"Yeah, what brought this change, Evans?" asked Potter, laughing.

She considered. "Two of my best friends are on the team," she said, "And the Quidditch World Cup showed me just how – _exciting_ the sport can be!"

"Wow – that's mighty grand of you, Evans – you're calling me one of your best friends, I'm so touched!" said Potter, his lopsided smirk returning. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, and what are Liz and Marlene – my enemies?" The others laughed at that, but Potter's smirk remained in place.

"Come on – we should get going, James," said Marlene, and stood up. Potter imitated her. "See you lot after the match – we're going to win this!" he said, and waved to them all. "Good luck!" chorused Lily, Peter and Remus, as Mary held up a thumbs-up at them both. Marlene and Potter left together.

An hour later, they were sitting in their chairs, waiting anxiously. "As it stands – we win today, and Hufflepuff will be out of the running. Our match against Ravenclaw will be the decider!" said Mary.

"And if we lose?" interjected Peter. Mary considered.

"Er – if that happens, we're in for trouble," she said finally. "We'll have to depend on Slytherin beating Hufflepuff – and then beat Ravenclaw with a certain margin to win the Cup. I hope we just win today and not have that level of complexity!"

"We will," said Remus reassuringly. "I agree that Fab not playing is not doing us any favours – but you watch, Sirius will play a great game!"

"Hope so," said Lily fervently, just as Dorcas Meadowes's cheerful voice echoed across the stadium. "Good morning and welcome to today's game – Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff! The equation is simple enough for the players in yellow – they lose, they're out of the running for the Quidditch Cup. It's a must-win game for them! Which is why, this may excite them a little – Gryffindor are without their first-choice Beater Fabian Prewett, for reasons not yet communicated to us – which means that substitute Sirius Black will be starting in his place!"

The Gryffindor supporters looked confused, but cheered the change nevertheless. The teams flew out onto the pitch, and after the Captains' handshake, the teams kicked off from the ground.

"They're off – and the Quaffle is immediately taken by Amy Blythe of Gryffindor – now McKinnon, streaking ahead along the centre – passes back to Blythe, but intercepted by Kirwan – WHAM! – ooh, that's a nice Bludger from the substitute, Sirius Black – and Kirwan drops the Quaffle – it's Potter, with his first touch of the match – Potter moving forward, feints to the left, passes to McKinnon, who SHOOTS – and SCORES! Gryffindor have the lead, ten-nil!"

Lily and the others cheered as Marlene performed a couple of loops in celebration. "Nice move, that!" exclaimed Mary, as she whooped and egged Marlene on. "Go Marlene!"

"And here's Potter in possession – on the left, cuts in, performs a little juggle with the Quaffle – WHAM! – ooh, that's one costly juggle, and Potter's lost possession to Bevan – Rick Bevan scurries forward, dodges both Bludgers, and comes within scoring distance, and – it's IN! He's scored – what a wonderful solo goal!" exclaimed Dorcas in admiration as the Hufflepuff supporters cheered and clapped.

"Ooh, a little bit of a disagreement there between Potter and Black – not sure what this is about, is Potter telling Black off for not guarding him from that Bludger which caused him to lose possession? Anyway, here's Kirwan again, and Hufflepuff in possession…"

About twenty minutes later, Hufflepuff had raced to a lead of one hundred points to sixty. Gideon was valiantly trying to cover up for his brother, but he was no match for two skilled Beaters, and though Black wasn't playing too badly himself, the Gryffindors were being outclassed by their opponents. "Come on, Liz – we need you to catch the Snitch!" Lily muttered desperately, training her binoculars on the solitary figure in scarlet-and-gold, far above them, her blonde hair flying like flames behind her.

"Duff in possession – now Bevan – dodges a Bludger but drops the Quaffle, and Blythe – oh, she's dropped it too, and now it's Duff back in possession – Duff heading forward, here he comes – Aiden Duff, shoots – and SCORES! Hufflepuff lead – by fifty points!"

"Damn it – what're they doing!" exclaimed Mary, closing her eyes tightly in frustration. "It was always going to be hard without Fab," Remus pointed out, shaking his head. "You can't expect Sirius to just get up and play as well as Fab, can you?"

"But he's still playing OK!" Peter said vehemently.

"What's the problem with him and James, though?" asked Mary. Remus and Peter exchanged looks, until Remus said, "Uh – I guess James is still angry with Sirius – for a multitude of reasons that we're not getting into." He shook his head firmly, and Mary seemed to accept this, though Lily could see a little hurt in her eyes as they re-focused on the match.

"One-thirty-to-sixty for Hufflepuff – Bevan scores again!" shouted Dorcas. "Hufflepuff are showing a lot more intent to win, and for good reason too – they've surely been the better team today, by a mile! Here's Blythe – now, Potter – Blythe again – Blythe SCORES!"

"Yeah, come on!" shouted Mary, cupping her hands and whooping. "That's the way…"

"And it looks like Huntington's seen the Snitch!" boomed Dorcas enthusiastically. "Here she comes – but Erin O'Shea is on her tail, and you can hear her younger sister Sarah cheering her on!" The crowd laughed and cheered, as both sets of supporters egged their Seeker on. "Huntington's closing in, she's pulled ahead of O'Shea – but here's a Bludger, and Huntington's been blown off course to dodge it, and it is O'Shea in the lead! O'Shea – she's _caught_ it! Hufflepuff win – they're still in the race!"

A huge cheer ascended from the Hufflepuff supporters, while their Gryffindor counterparts were silent and morose. Lily, however, was incensed. "What was that?" she asked aloud, "Why did Black aim that Bludger at Liz – what is he playing at?"

"Er – I think he was going for O'Shea, Lil," said Mary, looking most despondent. "Why would he go for Liz?"

"I dunno – but she was in the lead, and this idiot had no reason to hit that Bludger at her opponent – she'd have caught it anyway!" exclaimed Lily.

"I know – he must've been trying to give her some more help – but whatever his ploy, it just backfired!" replied Mary, shaking her head. Behind her, Peter commented, "Y'know – I didn't expect Sirius's first bow to end like this."

"I don't think any of us did, Pete," said Remus, turning his gaze towards the pitch. "Oh, no – c'mon, Pete, hurry!"

"What's –?" began Lily, but she didn't have to complete the question; she quickly spotted Potter and Black exchanging angry words next to where the team had landed, with Gideon trying to stop them. She watched in shock as Black punched Potter in the face, and Potter retaliated with a kick; within seconds, the two of them were wrestling each other on the ground.

"Dammit," she cursed, and hurried towards the pair of them just as they were separated by an irate-looking Professor McGonagall, who proceeded to berate them and award them detention. Black stormed off, while Remus and Peter stayed behind to talk down a similarly incensed Potter. "Oh, no – why is this happening?" Mary whispered piteously from behind her. "Why is everyone melting down like this?"

"I dunno," answered Lily honestly, patting her friend's arm comfortingly. "Now – come on, Liz and Marlene need us." Mary nodded and the pair of them headed towards their friends to offer them words of comfort. _I'll talk to Potter later_ , decided Lily… _Later…_

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The atmosphere in the common room resembled that at a funeral. The usual energy was lacking, and the team, sans Black and Potter, just sat huddled up in a corner by themselves. At one point, Fabian Prewett joined them, and though Gideon looked like he wanted to beat his twin into a pulp, Fabian sat next to him with a most serious expression on his face, and put an arm around his brother's shoulder comfortingly; it seemed like he was apologizing to the team.

Lily, who had been sitting with Mary and Remus, now stood up. "I'll be back in some time," she said, "I need to meet Professor Slughorn – to discuss my scores for last week's homework."

"But you got a full score!" said Mary, her eyebrows raised.

"Er – that was _two_ weeks ago, Mary," said Lily, her cheeks reddening at the lie. "This week I lost a few points because I disagreed with him about the use of Magnesium in the hearing-enhancing potion. I'll see you in a bit." She got up before there could be any more questions, and exited the common room quickly.

She just _had_ to find Potter, and let him know of her theory. It had formed in her mind as she'd watched the match, and the more she'd thought about it, the more it had made sense. She just had to find something that fit the description.

She had a shrewd idea where Potter might be. She understood how some parts of his mind worked, at least… For instance, she was sure that he didn't fancy her anymore, though admittedly she wasn't sure if he'd ever fancied her at all. She was sure that he was an egotistical, bullying show-off, with chivalry, nobility and an annoyingly high level of intelligence being some of his redeeming qualities. He was impulsive, unable to hide his emotions, and did exactly as he liked. And yet, his obsession with Quidditch made his possible whereabouts obvious to Lily.

The sun was low in the sky as she entered the Quidditch pitch, and saw, to her satisfaction, a solitary figure sitting in the stands, wearing robes of scarlet-and-gold. She made straight for him, and he turned to her just as she approached him. "What're you doing here, Evans?" he asked her dully. His mood was foul, and he didn't seem to want to make eye contact, for he kept staring ahead of him with a frown on his face.

"Looking for you, actually," she replied, taking the seat next to him. "I'm sorry we lost, Potter – but you don't have to beat yourself about it so much."

"You're kidding, right?" he snapped, looking at her at last. "We lost, Evans – by a margin of more than two hundred points, too! Now, we need to beat Ravenclaw in the last match – that too, with a huge, huge margin to overcome their point difference! And there's the added problem that if Hufflepuff beat Slytherin – it's over, we'll be out of the running, we can't overcome _their_ point difference!"

"All the same – it's out of your hands, Potter – so, why don't you just calm down?" she said patiently.

"Calm down?" he mimicked mockingly, and her temper began to rise. "How can I calm down, Evans? We lost – and it's all Sirius's fault! The stupid bugger – trying to show off at the absolutely wrong time!"

"He was trying to help Liz, Potter –" she began, but Potter cut across her immediately. "That was his intent, surely – but it was _so_ unnecessary! And he has the nerve to punch me after I pointed out how he messed up!" he said vehemently.

She stood up. "Clearly, this is a bad time," she said, with dignity. "I have a theory, Potter – but if you're just going to keep snapping at me like this, I'll see you later." She began to leave, but he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Ouch," she said, "Let me go, you prat!" He obeyed her immediately, and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, Evans – Sirius is the one I'm angry with, and I'm just taking it out on you – I'm sorry," he said, clearly regretting his loss of temper.

"That's all right, Potter," she said, and sat back down. He focused on her face and said, with an effort, "So – you say you have a theory?"

"Yes," she began. "Let's look at what we know – your Mum said there's no such disease she knows of that causes this sort of behaviour as a symptom, right?" He nodded, and she ploughed on, "Well, then it could be a potion, right? A potion they consumed – that's causing all this? I know that there are potions that strengthen over time." This suggestion had come from Hans, when Lily had offhandedly asked him in her last letter whether he knew magical causes of odd behaviour, having drawn a blank in the library. Hans had suggested potions, but he wasn't sure if such a potion existed.

He nodded again. "Go on," he said.

"So – I've thought of something that gives credence to the potions theory. The people we know who have been exhibiting strange behaviour – that's Liz, Black, that Ravenclaw girl Hannah MacFarlene – and now, Fabian as well – agreed?"

"Yep, Fab would play Quidditch without an arm and a leg, so his sitting out today makes no sense at all," said Potter feelingly.

"So – I have a connection between all these people," said Lily, her words coming out in a rush. "You see – they were all in the Three Broomsticks – _at the same time_ , during our first Hogsmeade weekend, when you, er, helped me out from those horrid Slytherins," she added, blushing slightly. He grinned. "You're welcome," he said, mock-curtseying her, and she rolled her eyes.

"So – I wonder – what if someone spiked – er, I dunno, the Butterbeer or something, and they all wound up getting affected?" she asked triumphantly. Potter raised his eyebrows, thinking hard – before a smile lit up his face. "I believe you've hit the nail right on the head, Evans," he said admiringly. "The Butterbeer is usually stored in barrels – so it wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to add this potion to a random barrel, and watch the effects it had on everyone who drinks it!"

"You think it can happen, then?" she asked him hopefully.

"Yep – didn't I just say that?" he shot back, and she rolled her eyes. "I guess I didn't think you'd believe it so quickly," she said.

"It's a solid theory," he said with conviction. "Now – what could be the motive?"

"I dunno – something like a mission for someone – enjoy the effects after successful execution?" suggested Lily.

"And then what? What's going to happen?" Potter replied, his tone slightly challenging.

"Er – I think we should find out about this potion first," said Lily. "If such a potion exists, that is… I'll see what I can find out in the library…"

"Yes – and I'll help you," said Potter, and Lily snorted. "You, in the library?" she asked, laughing.

"Er – no offence, Evans, but that place is your second home, and we know how successful _you_ have been," he shot back, his eyes amused. She punched his shoulder and he recoiled, laughing.

"I was looking for a _disease_ , you prat!" she exclaimed. "Now – if I must look for a potion, it's a whole new set of books!"

"Yeah – hence, teamwork," he said, his tone mocking. He stood up. "Come on – aren't you hungry?" he asked her.

"Yes – it's almost dinnertime," she replied, as they began to walk back to the castle. He snorted and said, "I'm not going to dinner – dinner is for the weak."

"Still too annoyed with Black, are you?" she asked shrewdly, and his expression darkened at once. "I'd rather go to the kitchens," he said haughtily. "Want to come with?"

She hesitated. On one hand, she wasn't particularly inclined to spend more time with Potter than absolutely necessary, but she wanted to know how he and the rest got food from the kitchens. In the end, curiosity won. "Er – sure," she said awkwardly, and his face brightened at once. "Well – come on, then!" he said enthusiastically, and the two of them made their way towards the castle. Once inside, Potter led her down a staircase just off the Entrance Hall. They hurried along a wide, brightly lit stone corridor, with paintings of food mounted on the walls.

"Here," said Potter, stopping in front of a painting of a large fruit bowl. He tickled the big green pair, and to Lily's astonishment, the pair began to squirm, giggling, before turning into a large green handle. Potter pulled the door open, and grinned at her. "After you," he said, and she entered the colossal room with a high ceiling, as big as the Great Hall she was sure was right above it. Four tables stood along the length of the room, laden with food – surely to be sent to the Great Hall as and when required. _So_ that's _how food appears in our plates_ , thought Lily, amazed. House-elves were at work at each table, and a couple of them actually smiled and bowed deeply to her as she stood near the door awkwardly. "They work here," Potter explained in an undertone, "They're bound to Dumbledore."

To her pleasant surprise, she had a good time having dinner in the kitchens. The house-elves were extremely generous, and kept piling food on her plate, until she was bursting with second helpings of everything. Finally, she was forced to accept a dozen eclairs from the house-elves, who extended the same favour to Potter, and bade them both good night. Lily walked back to the common room with Potter, slightly dazed.

"So – this is how you lot always get so much food from there – the house-elves just give it away, don't they?" she said, smiling slightly. "The skill lies in finding the kitchens, Evans," said Potter, tapping his head. "We've been coming here ever since first year – that's how we never run out of food!"

"Well – thanks for letting me into one of your Marauder's secrets," she said awkwardly. He smiled and said, "No problem – I quite enjoy spending time with you… And speaking of spending time together, we could go to Hogsmeade on the weekend before Easter –"

"I thought we had a deal, Potter –" she began, irritated, but he quickly held up his palms. "To talk to Madam Rosmerta! She might remember something about that weekend!"

"Nice try," she said loftily. "We can meet there – but in no _way_ am I going on a date with you, Potter – so stop being a prick!"

To her surprise, his grin grew more crooked. "We'll see about that – you _will_ go out with me one day!"

"What part of 'No' don't you understand, Potter?" she said with her eyes narrowed, rounding on him. "D'you want another language – like German, for instance? _Nein_ , Potter, _nein!_ "

"Fine, fine, enough – no need to go foreign on me," he said, put out. "Let's just work on finding this potion…"

"That's more like it," she said, just as they arrived in front of the Fat Lady. "Wait," he said, stopping suddenly, "Just – check if Sirius is there, OK? If he is, I'm going for a walk – can't stand him," he added, shaking his head. Rolling her eyes, she gave the password and took a good look around; not seeing Black anywhere, she relayed the message to Potter, who followed her into the common room, bade her goodnight, and made straight for his dormitory.

 _I hope we figure out what potion this is before an even bigger wedge is driven between Liz and I_ , she thought sombrely. _Before it's too late…_

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"Dammit – this is _so_ exasperating!" Lily exclaimed to Severus one afternoon near the end of March, and earned herself a glare from Madam Pince. "What is it?" Severus asked her, a little concerned. She shook her head and said, "Nothing – that stupid potion is driving me up the wall, I can't even seem to find it!"

"Ah," said Severus. "Don't worry – I'm sure you will."

"I've been at it for two weeks, Sev – and if I haven't found it yet, I doubt I ever will. Any update from your end?" she asked him hopefully. Ever since she'd narrowed down a potion as the possible cause for the 'odd behaviour' (as she and Potter had started to refer it as), she'd asked Severus if he'd ever come across something like that. He had, a little hesitantly in her opinion, agreed to help.

"Er – no," he replied, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, and she felt crestfallen. What _was_ this stupid potion?

Severus had, meanwhile, returned to his work. Lily hadn't yet told Potter that she had recruited Severus to help them; it wouldn't be received well. Potter still wasn't speaking to Black, and seemed to be content to keep to himself; Remus and Peter were finding it difficult to be friends with both parties but were doing the best they could to keep the peace.

"I'll – er – just go to the bathroom," said Severus, a little shiftily, his voice breaking into her thoughts. As she glanced up, however, he was looking at her steadily – then, with an almost-imperceptible nod of his head, he indicated the open book in front of him. He nodded once again, and left.

Bewildered, Lily grabbed the open book that he'd indicated, unable to fathom his strange behaviour. _Not another one_ , she thought tiredly as she checked the title of the book: _Advanced Potion-Making_. It was undoubtedly Severus's; the worn-out book resembled the one he'd showed her on the train on the first day of the year. She went back to the open page, and was surprised to see Severus's narrow handwriting all over it. She checked a few other pages, and the results were the same. Shaking her head, a little scandalized ( _Why is he spoiling his textbook?_ ), she carefully examined the page it had been originally kept at. There was writing all over it, several lines had been underlined, and a couple of words had been boxed, too.

 _Wait a minute_ , she thought. Memorizing the page number, she swiftly proceeded to examine the other pages – and came to a startling conclusion. There was no box anywhere – but only on that page. Was this what Severus was trying to indicate to her? He sure has a roundabout way of doing it, she thought, going back to the page of interest and reading the boxed lettering.

 _Widerwille Potion._

Lily wrinkled her forehead, thinking deeply. She'd never heard of this potion before… Quickly, she went to the glossary of the book, and looked it up again. She drew back, disappointed; the page where Sev had boxed the potion name was the only place in the book where it was mentioned. She read the paragraph again…

 _In present day, severe substance addictions are best treated with the Beschranken Potion, which was first brewed in the early twentieth century by the expert potioneer Wolfgang Beschrank, who hails from the quaint little town of Krumbach, which lies in Austria-Hungary. The Beschranken Potion has since replaced the previously used Gebunden Potion (first brewed in Calais, France) and the Widerwille Potion (originally from Bavaria, Germany), which were indubitably effective but had severe side-effects._

Lily drew back with slow excitement. The Widerwille Potion seemed to be an obscure potion which was used to cure addictions in the past, but was eventually phased out because of its side effects. She badly wanted to know more about this potion, and fast. An idea came to her. Perhaps she could ask Professor Slughorn…

 _Yeah, that's what I'll do_ , she decided firmly. She replaced Severus's book as it had been, and waited for him to return. She wondered why he'd been so secretive in helping her. Did he know more than he was letting on? Was he – her heart sank – was he involved in spiking people's drinks in some way? She took in a sharp breath. This potentially meant that some Slytherins could be involved in this mess, too…

She shook her head firmly. _First things first_ , she decided. _I need to speak to Professor Slughorn…_

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"But when did you figure it out – and _how?_ " Potter asked for the umpteenth time as they walked towards the library together. She glared at him and snapped, "Shut up, Potter – that's not important, like I told you about ten times already! What matters is that Professor Slughorn gave me a note for this book –"

"He'd do cartwheels if you told him to," said Potter, and she rolled her eyes. "Wait here," she said as they neared the library, "I'll be right back." He obeyed, and she entered the library to submit the note to Madam Pince. She felt a twinge of annoyance as Madam Pince held it against the sun as if to check it for forgery, before shuffling into the Restricted Section and giving her the book: _Obscure Potions of the Middle Ages_. "Thanks," she said, and hurried out of the library to find Potter waiting for her impatiently.

"Were you bringing the book – or _writing_ it?" he asked her sardonically, and she shot him another glare. "C'mon – let's find an empty classroom – we need to study this potion."

"Aren't you worried that Liz and the others might think – I dunno, that you and I are going out, now that we're spending so much time together?" he asked her as they walked, grinning. She rolled her eyes and said, "I doubt it – whenever I'm meeting you, I tell them that I'm studying in the library with Sev instead – that way, they let me alone."

He wrinkled his nose and said, "Ew, Snivellus?"

She hit him on the head with the heavy book. "It's _Severus_ ," she snapped.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing his head. "Not fair – that book's massive!"

"Be happy that I'm not setting your pants on fire, Potter – as you know, I have experience in that regard."

"OK, OK," he said, holding up his hands, "Let's just find an empty classroom…"

Soon enough, they were seated in the now-empty Transfiguration classroom. Lily opened the book and immediately located the Widerwille Potion. "Wow, this doesn't seem to be a very friendly potion – the claws of an Austrian crab, the black Agari – Agaricomycotina, whatever it is –"

"What's Thallium Sulphate?" read Potter, and Lily was shocked. "A colourless, odourless and highly toxic substance," she said, a feeling of coldness in her heart. "It can even be fatal in large quantities…"

"Does this book have an antidote for the Widerwille Potion, then?" Potter asked apprehensively. She began to leaf through the pages until she found it. "Here it is," she said triumphantly. "Woah, this potion is all sorts of complicated," she added, glancing over the ingredients, "I guess we can find tarragon and mint, as well as tail-hair of a roebuck in the student's cupboard – but I have no idea where to get this Carex paupercula… And this one too, the bittercress… Ooh, this one's tricky too, the gills of a Danube salmon…"

"Is it impossible, then?" he asked dejectedly. She shook her head.

"No – maybe we can find most of these in Professor Slughorn's private stores –"

"Leave it to me," he said firmly. "I can take care of it –"

"What, steal them?" she exclaimed, scandalized. "That's _insane!_ "

"D'you want to cure Sirius and Liz or not?" he shot back, his gaze intense. There was a few seconds' pause, following which her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Yes, I do," she said.

"Then this is the only way," he said. She had no answer, so she consulted the book again.

"Why can't we just use a bezoar – it cures most poisons, right?" Potter asked.

"Because it says here that Thallium Sulphide resists the effects of a bezoar and renders it useless," she replied, showing him the book. "I'm impressed, Potter – never thought you paid attention in Potions."

"Ouch, I'm offended, Evans," he shot back, with an expression of mock-hurt on his face. "I do pay attention – on occasion." Shaking her head, she went back to the book. "Hmm – this antidote takes about three weeks to brew – and this is the rarest ingredient of the lot, a feather of a Boreal owl! Never even heard of it!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"Don't worry – I'll see if I can get Mum to help," he said reassuringly. "She would know a lot of Healers in Germany –"

"Or I could just ask Hans," she said without thinking.

"Hans?" asked Potter, raising his eyebrows. "Wait – that Hans bloke from the Quidditch World Cup?"

"Yes," she replied, and felt a slight blush spread across her cheeks as she thought about the handsome boy with light-brown eyes.

"You're in touch with him?" Potter asked her with unnecessary aggression, in her opinion.

"So what if I am?" she responded, reddening even more. He said nothing, but simply glowered at her. "Didn't think you'd be so shallow – going after blokes like him," he said, his tone cutting.

She felt her temper rise. "It's ironic that you're calling me shallow, Potter," she retorted, "Because we both know why you went out with Rachel Burke – not so bad a looker, was she?"

"That's not true!" he snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not fooling me, Potter," she said evenly, "At least – don't fool yourself. That's one of the worst things in the world – to betray oneself."

He didn't seem to have a retort for that, and she took the opportunity to change the subject. "So – when d'you want to start brewing this potion? The sooner, the better, I think."

Some of his annoyance seemed to leave him as he considered this. "As soon as we have our ingredients – I can get the stuff from Slughorn's private stores within two days, no problem at all," he said confidently. "There's still the question of that owl's leg, though –"

"That has to be added last, so we can still get started," she cut across him. He nodded in approval. "All right, then. We'll also have to find a safe place for the potion –"

"I already have something in mind," she replied. "First floor girl's bathroom, haunted by Moaning Myrtle – no one ever goes there."

He looked at her, startled. "How can _I_ enter a girls' bathroom?" he asked he incredulously.

"No one uses it, Potter," she said patiently. "I can get a spare cauldron and the stuff from the students' ingredients cupboard – you'll take care of the rest, right?"

"Yep," he said. "I'm staying here for Easter, too – Mum and Dad are travelling. I can get a head start on the Potion…"

"That's not necessary, I'll be here, too," she said swiftly. "Too much work – I like to cover up during the Easter holidays."

He nodded in agreement. "It's settled, then. Now, come on – common room?"

"Yes," she replied, and they exited the classroom together, the heavy book now safely inside Lily's bag. _I hope we can brew this potion before anything bad happens_ , she thought fretfully as they walked. _We must hurry…_

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	40. Chapter 39

Thanks for the reviews, Sri849 and CB. Thanks for following and reviewing this story!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirty-nine. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine**

" **She's Back!"**

"I've thought of something, Evans," said Potter, yawning a little as they headed towards Moaning Myrthe's bathroom two days after deciding to brew the antidote for the Widerwille Potion. It was early morning on the Friday before the Easter holidays – the best time to avoid the rest of the school. There was a Hogsmeade weekend scheduled for the next day, with the two-week holidays beginning on Sunday.

"Are we even sure that Sirius and Liz and everyone else are victims to this Widerwille Potion? They could well be suffering from something else…" Potter added, looking at her inquiringly while carrying an old, tarnished pewter cauldron Lily had procured from the students' cabinet.

Lily shook her head and said, "I don't think so, Potter. Even before deciding to brew the antidote, I asked Professor Slughorn about the side-effects of the Widerville Potion. He said that while it worked well against addictions, it made the victims more irritable, to the point that they stop caring about other people's emotions… Their behaviour is different, too – they say and do things they normally wouldn't. Of course, during the old days, the people who suffered from addiction had to keep taking the antidote along with the Potion, but not in a quantity such that the Potion itself is rendered useless… In a way, it's a great thing that substitutes for the Widerville Potion are used today, it isn't a very friendly potion." She adjusted the bag carrying the potion ingredients on her shoulders.

"You can say that again," he agreed. "But still – I think we should be sure that it is actually the Widerville Potion that's causing problems."

"I'm positive, Potter," she said with faint irritation. "The symptoms match!"

"Yes – but what's the harm in being absolutely sure?" he countered.

He has a point, she thought grudgingly. "Fine – how do you propose we do it?"

"Oh, that's easy," he replied, grinning. "All I have to do is get Sirius to the Hospital Wing – then Madam Pomfrey will simply run a Diagnostic Spell on him, and find out what the matter is."

"A Diagnostic Spell?"

"Yes – how do you think she finds out what's wrong with people, if it's not something obvious like a Quidditch injury?"

"Hmm – didn't think about that," Lily replied, wrinkling her forehead.

"I just hope that we can confirm the Widerville Potion is the culprit," he said, a little tensely.

"Don't worry," said Lily reassuringly, "It's one of those Potions that strengthens over time – I'm sure that a – er, Diagnostic Spell, right? I'm sure that'll do the job."

He brightened at once. "That's fine, then," he said, just as they came up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. To her surprise, however, Potter kept walking.

"Er, Potter?" she called awkwardly. "We're here – where're you going?"

He turned and grinned. "I know a better place – follow me," he responded, and continued to walk straight ahead. Nonplussed, she followed him nevertheless, wondering where they were going. "What's wrong with Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" she asked him just as they came to a halt in front of a blank wall. He grinned and said, "Nothing – but the place I'm referring to is safer, and less conspicuous." He tapped the wall and said, " _Aperto!_ "

At once, the wall just melted away to reveal a passage behind it. "Another one of your secret tunnels?" she asked him, her eyes wide with wonder. His grin grew wider. "Yep," he replied, "This one opens up in the corridor to the kitchens. C'mon!" She followed him into the tunnel, and he turned and said, " _Cludomurus!_ " The wall sealed itself at once. " _Lumos!_ " he said again, and began to walk along the tunnel. Lily hurried after him.

"How – _how_ d'you know this stuff?" she asked him, unable to keep the astonishment out of her voice.

"There're a lot of shortcuts in the castle," he replied, not answering her question directly. "I've explored the castle a little – helps when you have an Invisibility Cloak, see?"

"I'm sure it does," she said dryly.

"Here," he said, coming to a halt next to a door. He opened it, and they stepped into a little stone room, brightly lit by a flaming torch. _Well – not much of a room, is it?_ thought Lily. _It's tiny and windowless…_

Potter set the cauldron down on a tripod stand that was already present in the room, along with a table in the corner. "Nicked those yesterday," he said, answering her unasked question, "When I was nicking the other stuff we needed…"

Lily felt a pang of guilt. As agreed beforehand, she had distracted Slughorn by asking him questions after the class, giving Potter some time to enter his private stores and get the stuff they needed. They had both decided not to take chances against the spells Slughorn may use to lock his stores in his absence. She hadn't liked this part of the plan one bit, but there hadn't been a better way…

Potter set the cauldron down on the tripod stand as she opened the book and placed it on the table in the room. "Here," she said, "Let us begin. First – heat some water, as much as we need for the final potion. Once it starts to boil, add the tarragon, then the mint, then dragonfly wings – then just leave that for two days. It's a slow process – but the first part won't take too long." She removed the contents of her bag – the ingredients, in neatly labelled boxes, along with a measuring cup, knives and a stirring spoon.

"Let me get some water – considering that there would've been about twenty people in the Three Broomsticks that day –" she consulted the book, "—for trace amounts, each person needs only about a teaspoon of the antidote. So, two cupfuls of water should do it – hang on, I'll get it."

"Wait – allow me," said Potter, and grabbed the measuring cup from her hands. Pointing his wand at it, he said, " _Pluvius!_ " Water droplets fell into the cup, filling it halfway; he used the Water Spurt spell once again, and the measuring cup was full. He poured it into the cauldron.

"Good thinking," said Lily approvingly. Potter grinned and said, "It's natural, Evans – I'm always looking for ways to reduce work!"

She rolled her eyes as he repeated the process and filled another cupful of water into the cauldron. Lily consulted the book again, and said, "All right – let's boil this Potion. _Incendio!_ "

Flames appeared below the cauldron at once. Lily monitored it carefully as the water began to heat up. Once it had started boiling, she added the tarragon and the mint, along with the dragonfly wings, as specified by the book. She put out the flames and proceeded to stir the potion for a few minutes as it frothed and bubbled, before turning a shade of indigo. She anxiously consulted the book; to her relief, the colour that the book described matched well with the colour of their potion.

"Done," she said happily. "Now – we just leave it here for two days – then the next steps."

"Hmm," he replied, and she turned to look at him. He was staring at the torch in the room, observing its crackling flames. "Er – Potter?" she asked tentatively, and he seemed to snap out of a reverie. "Sorry," he said, "You were saying?"

"First step's done," she repeated. He nodded briefly and gave her a smile quite unlike his usual lopsided grin. "You're sure you can do this, right? After all – you're the expert," he said. She went pink and slapped him lightly on the arm. "You're not so bad yourself – I'm sure _we_ can do it," she said, and he nodded again.

"You've been awfully quiet, Potter," she observed, and sat down beside him on the floor. "Something on your mind?"

"Er – it's nothing," he replied, but she wasn't fooled. "Somehow, I doubt that – especially if it's causing you to be quiet for so long," she said, her tone sardonic. Potter chuckled, but his brow clouded over almost immediately.

"It's OK – I didn't mean to pry," said Lily, feeling a little embarrassed. If he didn't want to tell her what was on his mind, she shouldn't push him… But to her surprise, he looked right at her.

"It's the war, Evans," he said heavily. "Mum's last letter – well, let's just say that things aren't looking bright in the Magical World right now. There's a lot of pressure on the Minister to resign – Mum's saying that she's not being deemed capable to deal with the threat of You-Know-Who. Rubbish, if you ask me – just a few years ago, there were some anti-Muggleborn and anti-Squib riots – primarily instigated by Britain's most prominent pureblood families. But she dealt with those very efficiently…"

The look on his face became darker. "This, though, is something new. Pureblood supremacy has never had this level of support from the Magical community until now. People actually think –" his expression became distasteful, ""—that You-Know-Who has the right idea. How can they even _believe_ – that Muggles and Muggleborns deserve to be downtrodden? It's – _ugh!_ " He looked away, shaking his head.

"Come on – I'm sure it's not that bad," she said reassuringly. Surprising even herself, she patted his shoulder – a little awkwardly, but with the intention to comfort. "So long as we've got Dumbledore, I'm not too worried – because apparently, You-Know-Who's really scared of him. And then there's people like your parents –" her tone softened, "—and Liz's parents, too, who stand by what is right – so, I'm sure the Ministry is in capable hands!"

At that, Potter turned to her again. "I'm not sure about that, Evans… You know the new law that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is about to pass, right?"

"Er – no, seeing that it _hasn't_ been passed yet –"

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically, and she laughed. "What I'm saying is, that law – it's going to legalize the use of Unforgiveable Curses against Death Eaters. Kill rather than capture, see?"

She took in a sharp breath. "Isn't it better to capture them – interrogate them – then try to defeat You-Know-Who?"

"Yes, I'd say that's a better way to win the war – but the Head of the DMLE, Mr Crouch, he doesn't reckon so. He thinks that elimination is going to be a lot more effective – if You-Know-Who's supporters are dead, they won't be a problem, see?"

"But then – how to get to You-Know-Who?"

"I dunno – he'll just keep gaining more supporters, won't he? Nah, I think Crouch has this all wrong, he isn't going to achieve anything positive with this strategy…"

"Well – looks to me like some kind of a populist scheme," said Lily thoughtfully. "If the public sees the Ministry prepared to kill You-Know-Who's supporters, they'll gain support – Crouch will gain support –"

"And if he wins the war, he'll be the frontrunner to become Minister for Magic!" Potter cut across her, looking impressed and shocked at the same time. "My, how did you think of that? That seems to be his agenda!"

She went pink. "I dunno – I guess my lack of direct involvement allows me to think objectively, doesn't it?" she said, and Potter nodded in understanding, still looking at her with admiration.

Blushing even more, she quickly looked at her watch and gave an exclamation. "It's almost eight! We need to get to breakfast!"

"Yeah – let's go," he said, and jumped to his feet. As they stepped out and closed the door, however, Lily paused. "Are you sure this is a safe place, Potter? What if someone finds our Potion?" she asked apprehensively.

"I've thought of that, Evans – it's simple, all you need to do is a Selective Locking Spell. It's pretty simple – here, I'll show you," replied Potter, and drew his wand. Pointing it at the doorknob, he said, " _Sero Selectivum!_ "

There was a click, and the door locked itself. Potter turned to her and grinned. "Now – try unlocking it. Go on!"

"OK," she said, and drew her own wand. " _Alohomora!_ "

Nothing happened; the door stayed locked. She looked at him in astonishment. "Why isn't it unlocking?" she asked him curiously.

"It will unlock – _only_ to me," he said, with another cocky grin. " _Alohomora!_ "

The door unlocked at once. "Like I said – the Selective Locking Spell. It recognizes the wand that casts the spell – so it will only unlock for that wand. A – _magical key_ , if you will. More secure than a password, isn't it?"

"Yeah, looks like!" she agreed. "Here – let me try it!"

"Or – you can call me every time you want to go in here," Potter said mischievously. "That way we can spend a lot more time together, Lilykins!"

"I _told_ you – never call me that _again!_ " she said dangerously, her eyes narrowed. Potter backed away slightly and said, "OK, OK – I'll come up with a better nickname – but seriously, what's the fun in a nickname you'll like? It _has_ to be annoying!"

"Like you?" she said irritably, before turning back towards the door. " _Sero Selectivum!_ " she cried, and the door sealed itself. "Good – now, it'll open only if you or I open it. Unless someone blasts it open, the Potion should be safe," said Potter, nodding his head.

"Nice spell, that – handy," said Lily, impressed, as they walked along the passage to breakfast. "I guess Professor Slughorn uses it to lock his office, doesn't he? Good call, Potter – stealing that stuff at night would've been a nightmare."

Potter puffed up his chest proudly and said, "I anticipated that – so stealing it during the day, after class, was much easier. Like I said, Evans – we Marauders look for ways to minimize effort!"

"I don't doubt that," said Lily, her tone amused. "Wait," she added as they came to the end of the passage, "Let me go first – then you wait for a few minutes before following me. Don't want anyone else to notice that what we're up to…"

"D'you _want_ us to be up to something, Evans?" Potter asked her with a crooked grin. She snorted and said, "No, thanks – anyone but you!"

"Ouch," he responded, clutching his heart with mock hurt. "You know, for someone so nice, you can definitely be cold!"

"Get used to it, then," she shot back. "Now – wait here, let me go first."

He obeyed, and she made straight for the Great Hall. _That Potion will be ready soon_ , she thought… _Soon…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Easter Holidays passed by very quickly. Lily and Potter brewed the Potion dutifully, and were satisfied with their results; according to the book, they were doing just fine. Most of their friends had gone home for Easter, with them not having as much homework as the year before – but Lily suspected that this was the calm before the storm, which would hit them as soon as they returned.

Severus was staying at Hogwarts, too. Lily saw him every day in the library, and they took a few walks along the grounds. She even visited Hagrid a couple of times during the holidays – though she was careful not to eat anything there, preferring to drink tea instead. She told Hagrid that she and Potter were in the midst of figuring out what was affecting their friends, and he was happy to hear that she'd followed his advice.

Lily had also renewed her efforts to learn the Disillusionment Charm, and had come to the room where they were brewing the antidote secretly every day to practise. It had taken some doing, but she'd finally mastered the Charm… Elated, she'd immediately proceeded to learn how to lift it, too, else the tripod stand she'd successfully managed to Disillusion would end up confusing Potter as it gave off an impression of a floating cauldron.

The Hogsmeade visit before the holidays had been somewhat fruitless, however. Lily had spent the day with Liz, Marlene and Mary, and she'd had a surprisingly good time… Until Liz had come face-to-face with Kevin Bell, who was on a date with a girl named Georgia Hales. A bad-tempered shouting match ensued, which ended abruptly with Liz using a Bat-Bogey Hex on Kevin. Lily and the others immediately whisked her away, but Lily was worried… If Liz was hexing people now, the sooner they brewed the antidote, the better…

Potter had volunteered to 'take care' of Madam Rosmerta alone; he'd told her that the barmaid would be more willing to volunteer information if one person was speaking to her. Lily hadn't believed that one bit; Madam Rosmerta's youthful looks routinely made her the subject of a lot of attention from boys. She was only a few years older than Lily, but Lily had seen seventh-years engaging in long conversations with her the few times she'd been to Hogsmeade. She suspected that Potter wanted to talk to her alone for the same reason…

However, he'd told her later that he'd learned nothing useful; Madam Rosmerta had been unable to recall anyone who had been in the pub that day, apart from Fabian Prewett and Sirius Black. "We already know _they're_ affected, so we're back to square one," Potter had said to her, his tone disappointed.

Saturday morning found Lily walking towards the room where they were brewing the antidote. Classes would begin on Monday, and she wanted to check on the potion to determine whether its consistency was enough to add the next ingredient, the dried gills of a Danube salmon, crushed to a fine powder. "Alohomora," she whispered as she came to the door, which swung open immediately.

"Potter!" she exclaimed as soon as she entered, surprised to see him there. What was more, his appearance was astonishing: his surprisingly long hair was a shade of auburn, not unlike her own, and the sclera of his eyes were yellowish instead of the normal white. "What're you doing here – and what _happened_ to you?"

"Er – nothing to worry about – temporary effects of a spell, see?" he replied with an unconvincing nonchalance, clearly discomfited. "I was trying out a spell which involves advanced transfiguration – and as you can see, I succeeded in turning my hair red –"

"Yes – but why?" she asked him, still taking in his weird appearance.

"Just trying out new stuff, Evans," he replied easily.

"But your eyes – they're yellow, you look like you've got jaundice!" she exclaimed.

"What's that now?" he responded, confusion in his eyes.

"Er – d'you feel any sort of stomach-ache?" she asked him, frowning.

"No," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking – you don't seem to have jaundice, but your eyes – my _God_ , they're yellow –"

"Yeah, yeah – I know, I may have mixed up a couple of charms here and there –"

"But isn't that dangerous? Practising charms on yourself? You could get seriously hurt!"

Potter raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking. "Aww – are you worried about me? That's so sweet!" he said, and his lopsided grin was back. She rolled her eyes. "Prat," she said, "You and Severus – you're more alike than you know…"

"Did you – did you just say I was like – _Snivellus?_ " said Potter, and she actually took a step back due to the harshness of his tone.

"Easy there –" she began, but he interrupted her. "I'm nothing like him," Potter said, his voice cold – he looked furious. "He – he –"

"Enough," she said warningly. "I only meant – you like to try out new spells, without knowing what they do – he does, too!"

Potter's face relaxed by a fraction. "Oh," was all he said, though.

"For example – nah, I won't use it on you," she said, shaking her head, "Unless you really, really annoy me."

"I'm honoured," he said dryly. "Anyway – what're you doing here?"

"I came to check the consistency of the potion," she replied, remembering. She went over to the cauldron, dipped a piece of parchment in the now lavender-coloured potion, and held it, allowing the potion to drip back into the cauldron.

"Hmm – not thick enough," she said, and he looked surprised. "How can you tell?" he asked her.

"You see," she said, unable to resist an air of superiority, "All I have to do count the number of seconds it takes for the potion to drip back. It's called the drip test… If it drips back before ten seconds, it's not thick enough. It is thick enough only if the potion drips back between ten to fifteen seconds."

"And how do you measure ten seconds?" he asked disbelievingly. She snorted and said, "Just count from one-thousand-one to one-thousand-ten… Each number takes exactly one second to be said." She rolled her eyes at his bewildered face and said, "Oh, come on, Potter – it's a Muggle trick."

She checked the book and said, "Well – it's been two weeks since we started to brew this – so according to the book, it should attain the required consistency within four or five days. Then the gills – then the feather of the Boreal owl, and that's that – it'll be ready!"

"Nice," he said appreciatively. "I wrote to Mum – told her a few fibs as to why we're brewing this potion, and convinced her that I'll get bonus marks in the exam. That was enough for her to call in a couple of favours – I've got the ingredients right here." He produced a little bag from his pocket, with the required ingredients sealed in packets.

"Thanks – well done," she said cheerfully. He mock-bowed and said, "At your service, Madam – anything for you. In fact – now that the biggest problem is solved, surely it's worth a little kiss from you –?"

"Ugh!" she said distastefully. "That does it – _Langlock!_ "

She watched with satisfaction as Potter made a strangled, gargling noise, but he couldn't form intelligible words. "I _told_ you I'd hex you if you annoyed me – so, there you are! I'll have to remember to thank Sev," she said proudly, and he made an angry noise. She laughed and said, "I'll take the hex off – if you agree to stop trying to get me to go out with you. As it is, you promised you wouldn't – but you keep doing that, so you had it coming to you!"

He made a strangled noise in protest, but gave her a pleading look. "No more comments – or the next time it'll be a worse hex. Understand?" He nodded earnestly, and she sighed and muttered the counter-curse. At once, Potter regained his speech. "That was a pretty good hex," he said grudgingly. "So – Snivellus teach you that?"

"It's _Severus_ ," she said coolly. Perhaps her face had told him not to push it, for he quickly changed the subject. "Er – anyway, Sirius and the others are coming back tonight. Our question to verify that the Widerville Potion is the culprit – something we should've done a while back, because if it isn't, we've wasted our time –"

"Shut it," she said, irritated. " _Of course_ it's the Widerville Potion – the symptoms match, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"But we should confirm it!" he exclaimed. "What's the problem with that?"

"Nothing – I have a problem with you second-guessing our efforts all the time!" she shot back.

"Well, we don't know for sure, now, do we?" he said hotly.

She took a deep, calming breath. It wouldn't be good if they quarrelled now, for no reason… "Look, Potter," she said evenly, "Even if we don't know for sure, I'm certain that we're on the right track. The symptoms of the Widerville Potion are – unique. There's _only one_ possibility. Just – trust me, will you?"

He nodded mutinously. "Fine," he said. "It's just that – I'd like my best friend back as soon as possible."

"I know how you feel," she said honestly, but he shook his head.

"Sirius never goes home for holidays if he can help it," he said, "He usually comes over to my house or stays at Hogwarts itself. His parents – nah, leave it, I shouldn't say."

"I already know that he doesn't get along with his family," she said bluntly, and he looked surprised. "Don't worry – I'm not going to blurt it out elsewhere," she added, and he closed his mouth; clearly, he'd been about to say something.

"Anyway," he said, "I'll take care of Sirius by tomorrow. You'll have your answer within a day!"

"Good, that's settled, then," she said, relieved. "I'm going to the library now – I still need to iron out a few things in my Binns essay. See you later – Hospital Wing, right?"

"Yeah, tonight – after dinner, eight o'clock," he said, smiling at her crookedly. "Bye – I'll miss you!"

She shook her head, her eyes narrowed. _He just won't learn_ , she thought, as a sudden inspiration came to her. _Well, two can play this game!_

"I'm not going to meet you till you bring your hair and eyes back to normal," she said, "You look ridiculous."

"See? You _care_ about my looks!" he exclaimed, beaming. She surveyed him with mock-thoughtfulness before saying, "Nah, on second thoughts, keep the hair. At least now it doesn't look like an ugly hedgehog!"

And with that parting shot, she turned on her heel and marched triumphantly out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eight o'clock that evening found Lily hovering anxiously in front of the Hospital Wing, waiting for Potter. _Where is he?_ she thought for the umpteenth time as she looked at her watch. She'd just exchanged a superficial greeting with Liz and the others after they'd returned to Hogwarts, preferring to eat in silence while they described their holidays to each other. Marlene had looked curiously at her once or twice, but she'd been satisfied when Lily had laughed at a humorous story by Mary which involved her younger sister (who was in Hufflepuff), a gnome, and a trick Easter egg filled with beans instead of toffee.

To her relief, she saw Potter arrive, slouching slightly as he supported an unconscious Sirius Black. His hair and eyes were back to normal, and he grinned at her as he came closer. "All right, Evans?" he asked cheerfully.

"You're late," she said.

"This wasn't exactly a picnic, Evans," he retorted, "I had to get him away from the others, Stun him and get him here."

"Wow, Potter," she said angrily, "You could've picked a less conspicuous way – but _no_ , you just _had_ to be brazen and attention seeking –"

"Blimey, what's eating you?" he interrupted, looking confused as they entered the Hospital Wing. "You're more hot-headed than usual – and that's saying something!"

She sighed. "Nothing – not important," she said as Madam Pomfrey approached them. "Oh dear – what's wrong with Mr Black? Here – get him to the bed…"

They lowered Black onto one of the beds, and Potter said, "Er – Madam Pomfrey, we're sort of wondering if it's the Widerville Potion that he's consumed by accident, so could you tell us if that's the case?"

 _Wow – he jumped right into it. Straightforward_ , she thought admiringly once again. Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows and asked, "And what makes you think that, Potter?"

"Er –" he began, but she took over immediately. "You see, Madam Pomfrey, I overheard someone daring him to consume Widerville Potion for ten Galleons – and he's been acting a little odd lately…" she lied glibly, hoping against hope that the matron would buy their story.

To her enormous relief, the matron nodded understandingly. "The things you children do," she said, her tone disapproving, but produced a piece of parchment nevertheless. She pointed her wand at Black and muttered an incantation; Lily was sure that it was the Diagnostic Spell Potter had told her about.

"Smooth," said Potter sardonically from next to her, but he was grinning.

"Well – I'm afraid I'm getting inconclusive results," said Madam Pomfrey gravely. "I need a sample of his hair, his blood and his toenails to investigate some more – may take me a while, to be honest. This potion is so outdated that people stopped brewing its antidote fifty years ago. I may have to contact St Mungo's for some testing potions…"

"That's OK, Madam Pomfrey," said Potter, hiding his disappointment. "He'll be OK, right?"

"Yeah, he will," said Madam Pomfrey reassuringly. She proceeded to take a hair and a toenail from Black, followed by a blood sample from his finger, which she healed immediately. "Just – keep him out of trouble, for the Widerville Potion can cause some irrational anger and aggression – and it strengthens over time, too!"

"Yes Ma'am," said Potter with a salute. Pointing his wand at Black, he said, " _Rennervate._ "

Black woke up immediately, and spotting the two of them, rounded on Potter at once. "What're you playing at, mate? Why did you Stun me?"

"Evans dared me," Potter said smoothly. Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows but Lily shot her a pleading kind of look, and the matron said nothing. "She thinks you're a better dueller than me – always with your guard up, so she bet me a Galleon if I could Stun you and bring you to the Hospital Wing," continued Potter.

It was a lame story at best, but Lily hastened to go along with it. "Yeah – if he did succeed, I wanted to make sure you were OK, Black. Well, Potter – you've proved your point. Here," she said, and offered him a Galleon from her pocket. He grinned and said, "Keep it – the satisfaction is enough!"

"Ooh, making bets, are we?" said Black, giving Potter a knowing sort of look. "That's progress, mate…"

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," said Lily fervently, and the matron nodded in understanding. "Run along, now – you must get back before curfew!" she said, and they all nodded before exiting the Hospital Wing. She followed the boys silently, not listening to what they were bickering about. Madam Pomfrey's assessment, though inconclusive, had been reassuring… Lily was now surer than ever that the Widerville Potion was the culprit. She only hoped that she wasn't wrong…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily sat in the common room next to Liz as her best friend stared down at the chessboard, trying to figure out the best move to get her out of the mess she was in. Opposite to her sat Black, his face gleeful with victory so close.

"Give up, Hunt – you've been beaten," he taunted.

"Not a chance," retorted Liz, "Too cocky, Black – I tell you, arrogance will be your undoing!"

It was a week after classes resumed, one of the most restive weeks Lily had ever seen during her time in Hogwarts. It was as if the Easter holiday had been some sort of catalyst, for several fights and duels had broken out in corridors, in between classes, and even during dinner. Gideon Prewett had had the unfortunate task of dragging his brother away from a fight Ramsay Warrington, a burly seventh-year Slytherin prefect. However, by the time the fight had been broken up, Warrington had suffered a broken nose – something Fabian had received detention for.

So it was a relief to Lily when she'd added the final ingredients to the antidote that morning, and at that very moment, the Potion waited for them in its hiding place, completely ready (the drip test had succeeded). _I'll go to Madam Pomfrey tomorrow_ , she decided. _I just have to figure out how to get Liz there… I can just show her our correctly brewed antidote, then she can administer it –_

"Shut up!" Liz shouted suddenly, breaking into her thoughts. Black laughed jeeringly and said, "Admit it – you stink at this game! Embarrassing, really – I haven't seen a chess player so bad ever since I wiped the floor with –"

But he didn't get very far, for Liz lifted the chessboard and slammed it down, none too lightly, on his head. "No, Liz!" Lily screamed, and began to wrestle the chessboard away from Liz as Marlene and Remus came running to see if Black was all right.

"Let me at him – Lily – get off, or I'll hit you, too –" Liz snarled, but Lily kept her grip on Liz's wrists as Mary arrived to help her. Together, they were able to take the chessboard away from Liz and force her back into a chair.

"Never thought I'd say this, Liz – but _calm down!_ " exclaimed Mary, her face distressed. Neither of them noticed that Black was now on his feet, having shaken off the blow.

" _Furnunculus!_ " Black shouted, and Lily watched in horror as ugly boils sprung up all over Liz's face. With a scream, she whipped out her wand and jumped to her feet, but Black was too quick for her. " _Labocrus!_ " he yelled, and Liz suddenly lost her balance and clinched Lily's shoulder for support as the Jelly-Legs Jinx took effect.

"Enough, Black!" Lily shouted, as Remus grabbed Black's arm. The rest of the common room seemed to be watching on with great interest.

" _Vespertilio –_ " began Liz, but Black wasn't done. " _Densaugeo!_ " he shouted, and before their very eyes, Liz screamed in pain as her front teeth began to grow at an alarmingly fast rate. "That's an improvement to your stupid face!" Black shouted unkindly, and tears of anger and humiliation formed in Liz's eyes. Lily helped her back into the chair.

"Enough!" Remus yelled, but Black pushed him back and he stumbled. He advanced upon Liz, his wand raised, as Lily drew her own. "Back off," she said, her voice low with menace. Marlene tried to grab Black's hand, but he shook her off, too. He raised his wand, but Lily was faster. " _Langlock!_ " she shouted, and just like Potter, Black was rendered speechless with his tongue glued to the top of his mouth. Sputtering, his face red with anger, Black attempted to remove the hex, but someone shouted, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " and he fell backwards, stiff and rigid.

Potter ran up to them with Peter at his heels. "You all right? What happened – she OK?" he asked, looking at Liz, who was still in tears. Lily nodded. "We're fine – but right now, we need to take these two to the Hospital Wing." She gave Potter a significant look, to indicate that the Potion was ready, and he nodded eagerly at once. "I'll explain later – thanks, you lot," she added to Marlene and the rest. "I'll come with you," said Marlene, and Lily couldn't find a good reason to disagree, so she said, "Fine – let's go."

" _Mobilicorpus!_ " Potter said, pointing his wand at Black, who rose in the air and began to float behind them. "C'mon, then," Potter added, and with some help from her and Marlene, they managed to force Black out of the portrait hole. Liz followed them, but stopped just as they were about to turn the first corner.

"What?" demanded Lily, a little irritated. _I hope she doesn't start another fight_ , she thought.

"I can't go to the Hospital Wing – looking like _this!_ " Liz exclaimed, and Lily had to admit that she had a point: the three jinxes were causing some sort of reaction, and Liz had now sprouted tentacles all over her face, giving her the unenviable appearance of a jellyfish.

"I have an idea – hang on," said Lily. Pointing her wand at Liz, she exclaimed, " _Pellucidus!_ "

To her relief, Liz seemed to vanish from view before her very eyes, taking the colour of the painting behind them. "It worked!" she exclaimed, just as Potter said admiringly, "Nice one!"

"How – how did you –?" began Liz, astonished, but Lily cut across her, grinning. "Disillusionment Charm – managed to master it at last!" she said proudly. "Been practising over the Easter hols."

"Excellent, you have to teach me how to do that!" exclaimed Marlene. "It's great!"

"I thought _we_ were going to learn it together," said Liz angrily.

"Yeah – but you've been such a prick to me recently, I figured I'd learn it myself," said Lily loftily before she could stop herself. Then, before Liz could respond, she quickly ploughed on, "Objecting more would be a bad move, considering I can lift it, too. Want to hide our – ah, _ugliness_ , don't we?"

Liz stayed silent, and Lily saw Potter and Marlene exchange astonished looks. "That's a little harsh, Lily," Marlene chided silently, but Lily was unmoved. "Sorry, but with the kind of nonsense I've put up with –"

"All the same, it wasn't her fault, Evans," interrupted Potter. "You – of all people – should know that."

She gritted her teeth and took in a deep breath; she hated it when he was right. "Fine – I'll be nice," she replied.

"What did you mean – 'you of all people'?" Marlene asked curiously. Potter grinned and said mysteriously, "You'll find out – soon." Marlene rolled her eyes but asked no more questions.

As they entered the Hospital Wing, Lily took the Disillusionment Charm off of Liz. Madam Pomfrey gave a little exclamation and forced Liz into bed at once. "What happened?" she asked, and Marlene explained it to her briefly as Potter plopped Black down onto the neighbouring bed. "Well – you children should really stop getting into such scuffles," said Madam Pomfrey reprovingly. "I should report this to Professor McGonagall –"

"Did you find anything out from Sirius's test, Madam Pomfrey?" Potter interrupted. Madam Pomfrey looked at them solemnly and said, "Yes – I'm afraid you were right, it is the Widerville Potion. The testing equipment arrived two days ago – I've even ordered a batch of the antidote."

"No need," said Potter proudly. "We just happen to have some lying around…" And with that cryptic statement, he rushed out of the Hospital Wing, leaving everyone except Lily thoroughly bewildered.

"Can you do the same test on Liz, too, Madam Pomfrey?" Lily asked the matron immediately. "It doesn't take long, does it?"

"No – the delay was because of the equipment, that's all – the test is a cinch," Madam Pomfrey said reassuringly. She immediately plucked out a single hair from Liz's head (her friend winced but made no argument), and took a sample of her blood before going to her office.

"What's going on, Lily?" Marlene asked her curiously. " _Widerville Potion_ – what's that?"

"I'll explain in a bit," she promised, and didn't say another word until Madam Pomfrey returned ten minutes later. "Same result," she said sombrely. "How did _this_ happen? I have a feeling that this wasn't another bwt…"

"Er – it's a long story," said Lily sheepishly. The bet lie had just fallen flat. Luckily, Potter returned right then, carefully balancing a cauldron which he set down on Liz's bedside table. "The antidote," he announced importantly.

Her face utterly bewildered, Madam Pomfrey stepped forward to examine the antidote. She performed the drip test on it, before turning to them and saying, "Twelve seconds – I'm impressed, did you brew this on your own?"

"Er – Evans did most of it," Potter said truthfully, glancing at her as he spoke. "I just helped out a little, here and there…"

"No, he helped quite a lot," amended Lily. "Anyway – Madam Pomfrey, I think this potion's been brewed correctly, we followed the exact procedure and kept checking it regularly. So, can you please administer it to these two?"

"Well – I'd be neglecting my duty as a Healer if I administer any sort of antidote if I'm not sure of its –"

"But I'm telling you, it's correct!" Potter exclaimed.

"I'll need more proof than that," said Madam Pomfrey patiently. "As it happens, though – I can check it if you give me a minute."

She marched to her office and returned with a little bottle. "Probos Potion," she said in answer to their inquiring glance. "If this potion has been brewed correctly, it will emit a sour odour – and turn green – if I add the Probos Potion to it." She took a spoonful of their potion and added a drop of the Probos Potion to it. The effect was immediate; Lily smelled a sour, lemony kind of odour, and the potion in the spoon turned bright green.

"That'll do it!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, obviously impressed. "My, this is a complicated potion to brew – we have a wonderfully talented potioneer amongst us!"

"Er – I just followed the instructions," Lily said awkwardly, blushing crimson as Marlene clapped her on the back.

"She's talking about me, Evans – don't be pretentious," said Potter mischievously, and Liz and Marlene laughed. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Is that so? Well, then – why don't you tell Madam Pomfrey which was the last ingredient – the gills or the feather?"

Potter had no answer to that, and Liz laughed even harder. Madam Pomfrey shook her head absently and said, "Well – I'm convinced that this potion is perfect. Now, to take care of things…" She took a spoonful of the potion and held it in front of Liz who took it willingly. There was a second of silence… Then –

"Woah," said Liz, her mouth slightly open. "What was that? I feel about a hundred pounds lighter!"

"There – it worked! She's cured!" exclaimed Lily, and exchanged an overhead clap with Potter.

"Cured of what? What's the Widerville Potion you've been jabbering about – and why do I feel so, I dunno, positive all of a sudden?" Liz exclaimed, waving her hands to attract their attention.

"Hang on – I'll explain in a bit," replied Lily, as Madam Pomfrey unfroze Black and forced him to take a spoonful of the potion as well. A second later, Black sprang to his feet and made his way straight to Liz's bed.

"Hunt!" he exclaimed, "I'm so sorry – I dunno what got into me, I shouldn't have jinxed you –"

"That's OK, Blackie," Liz replied, and Lily chuckled at the new nickname. "It's my fault – hitting you with a chessboard isn't going to break your thick skull – I'll need an iron club instead." Lily burst out laughing at that. _She's back!_ she thought ecstatically. "On a more serious note, I shouldn't have hit you at all – I'm sorry," Liz added, her tone serious, and Black shot her a dazzling smile. Lily gave Potter a victorious grin which he returned – but when Lily glanced at Marlene, she saw that her friend's forehead was wrinkled. _What's that all about?_ she wondered, but before she could ask Marlene, Potter said to Black, "Good to have you back, mate." Black who turned and embraced his best friend tightly, and Liz coughed loudly and said, "Ah, young love – so beautiful!" Lily and Marlene guffawed, and Black and Potter broke apart, looking a little embarrassed.

"Now, children – tell me, how did these two consume the Widerville Potion?" Madam Pomfrey asked them firmly. Lily swallowed and said, "Er – Madam Pomfrey – if you don't mind, can we speak to Professor Dumbledore directly?"

Madam Pomfrey considered this before nodding in approval. "All right, then – I guess the matter is pretty serious –"

"I thought _I_ was Sirius!" said Black, and Lily rolled her eyes. _I liked him more when that potion was in effect_ , she thought sardonically.

"I think," said Madam Pomfrey firmly, "It's time to speak to Professor Dumbledore."

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Author's Note: Thanks for the suggestion, Sri849. As you can see, I've taken it into account! :-)


	41. Chapter 40

Thanks for the reviews, Sri849, Anna and Basima Saif. Thanks for following and reviewing this story!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty**

" **Fire seems to be your element."**

"So, to summarize, Professor – several people in the castle have been dosed with this Widerwille Potion… Evans and I, we figured that out, and she brewed an antidote… Sirius and Liz were our guinea-pigs, and it worked well!" said Potter earnestly.

"Yes, I quite understand, Mr Potter – this was undoubtedly good work done by you and Miss Evans," Dumbledore replied, a benign smile on his face.

They were still in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had proceeded to alert the Headmaster via a quick Floo call from the Hospital Wing fireplace, and Dumbledore had arrived in a trice. Lily and Potter had proceeded to tell him everything, starting with Black's and Liz's erratic behaviour after the first Hogsmeade weekend; how she and Potter had figured out the reason, brewed the antidote, and proceeded to make things right with their two best friends.

Lily looked up proudly and said, "Thank you, Professor – but Potter's being modest, he helped a lot, he was the one who got all the ingredients in place –"

"James – and modest?" Liz interrupted with a laugh. "Blimey, you'd think he'd swallowed some of that Widerwille stuff…" They all laughed as Potter stuck his tongue out at Liz.

"In any case – I must thank you," said Dumbledore, regarding them steadily. "You have identified a problem most others would've dismissed as too minor. The Widerwille Potion is a nasty one – I would know, I studied it during my work in alchemy. My friend Nicolas, who loves to experiment – _he_ said it's something one shouldn't mess around with. But your desire to see your friends back to their normal selves – that is what drove you to brew a most complicated potion – successfully, I might add. I am proud of you."

Lily blushed as the Headmaster praised them. "Er – I smelt a rat because I know Liz quite well," she supplied, and Liz grinned at her at once. "Too right you do," her best friend said.

"You say that several people have been dosed with this Potion," said Dumbledore. "Who are they – and how did this happen?"

"Er – we think that Fabian Prewett – and Hannah MacFarlane have consumed this Potion," said Potter. He briefly explained their reasons – Fabian skiving off the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, and their meeting with Sarah O'Shea.

"And as for _how_ ," added Lily, "We think – a barrel of Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks was spiked with this potion. We – that is to say, Potter –" she glanced at him, and he nodded, "—spoke to Madam Rosmerta, but she wasn't able to help us. The reason we think this, is that Liz, Black, Hannah and Fabian were all at the Three Broomsticks at roughly the same time, during out first Hogsmeade weekend. If a single barrel of Butterbeer was contaminated, everyone who was there and consumed it will be affected, right?"

"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore gravely. "Once again – a most ingenious connection, Miss Evans. Your mind works the right way." Lily blushed. _This is getting old_ , she thought wryly. "Do you remember anyone else who may have been there at that time?" Dumbledore pressed further.

Lily bit her lip; she couldn't remember who else was there. Sure, Remus and Peter had been with her, but neither of them had ordered Butterbeer. She frowned as she tried to remember…

"Kevin Bell," said Liz, "He was on a date with me." She flushed a little, and Lily remembered with a twinge of sympathy how things had ended between them.

"Karen Norton – she was with me," said Black. "But she didn't have any Butterbeer – I ordered one for myself, but she preferred tea."

Lily felt frustrated. How were they going to find out who else was affected? She looked at Dumbledore, and was astonished to see him smiling.

"Don't worry – I know how we can find out," he said, and with a wave of his wand, conjured a glass flask out of thin air. "Now, Miss Evans – I would like you to concentrate on that day. Try not to think of anything else…" Lily nodded and sis as she was instructed. Dumbledore tapped his wand onto her temple, and slowly drew it back. To Lily's astonishment, a bluish-grey thread of glowing material emerged from her head and entered the flask in Dumbledore's hands.

"A memory," he said, in answer to her inquiring look. "I can view it at my leisure – it'll make things clear."

"In your pensieve, sir?" asked Potter curiously, and Dumbledore nodded. "Very astute, James," he said, smiling. Turning to Liz and Sirius, he said, "I would like the two of you to do the same thing." They nodded, and he repeated the procedure; within seconds, the flask was full. "Thank you," he said. "I will view these now – I hope your theory holds water, Miss Evans, for it will make things much simpler."

Lily nodded, elated. The problem was almost solved…

"One last thing before I leave," said Dumbledore, and he gave them all his piercing stare; once again, Lily felt the strange sensation of being x-rayed. "Do any of you have any inkling – as to _who_ may have done this?"

Lily's heart began to beat faster. Severus had taken her out of the Three Broomsticks that day. He had also been the one to point her in the right direction in the library, with his textbook. Had Mulciber attacked her – to cause a diversion, then? Did he have anything to do with the entire affair? How had Severus known about the Widerwille Potion? And why – why had he helped her in such a roundabout, indirect fashion? Did he know more than he was letting on?

"No, Professor," she said at last. "I dunno who might have done this…"

Potter glanced at her once, but remained silent and shook his head no. Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Very well, then," he said. "But one of us here is extraordinarily silent. Do you have something on your mind, Miss McKinnon?"

Lily gave a start; she'd almost forgotten that Marlene was there with them. The dark-haired girl's eyes had a faraway look in them. She sighed deeply before facing them all. "Er – I'm not sure about this, Professor – but I think my Dad's been dosed with this – this Widerwille Potion."

Lily exchanged a shocked look with Liz. How had Marlene come to this conclusion?

"Why do you think so, Miss McKinnon?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Er – because –" began Marlene, and tears filled in her eyes. Lily immediately squeezed her hand, and Marlene took in a small sniff before saying, "There was a row, Professor. I was visiting him at St Mungo's during the Easter holidays – and he rowed with Mum. It was pretty heated, and he – he –"

"What happened, Marlene?" prodded Dumbledore gently.

"He _slapped_ her," Marlene whispered, and looked away at once, trying to blink back her tears. Lily felt her heart ache with sympathy.

"They've been married for more than twenty years – and not once, _not once_ , has he raised a hand on any of us. It was – awful," said Marlene, drying her eyes.

"My sympathies, Miss McKinnon," said Dumbledore delicately. "Rest assured that I will ask St Mungo's to perform the test on him." Marlene nodded her thanks, and Dumbledore stood up.

"Mr Potter – Miss Evans," he said, "On account of your impressive work, I would like to award Gryffindor House – a hundred points apiece." Lily exchanged a gleeful look with Potter. "This is your reward for being tenacious and persistent in your endeavour. Well done." Lily blushed even more furiously at the praise.

"I will view your memories – rest assured, by tomorrow we will take care of all the affected students. I suggest you three – return to your dormitories," he said, indicating her, Marlene, and Potter. "Let's let Mr Black and Miss Huntington rest tonight – is that all right, Poppy?" Madam Pomfrey nodded firmly. Dumbledore stood up, gave them a final benign smile, and walked out of the Hospital Wing.

"Two hundred points – well done, mate!" exclaimed Black cheerfully. "That'll make up for all the points the teachers docked off us…" Potter laughed and said, "I dunno if any number of points earned is going to make up for the docked points, mate." Black guffawed, and Lily rolled her eyes. "Shameless, the two of you are," she said loftily. "We work so hard in classes to earn points – and you two can't wait to squander them away!"

"Ah, lighten up, Evans," said Potter, and stood up. "We best be on our way," he said. "'Night, Sirius, Hunt." Lily and Marlene immediately got up, too. "See you tomorrow!" she said, waving at Liz and Black. "Sleep well!"

"Thank you, Lil – and James," Liz said sincerely, and Black nodded along with her. Lily nodded back at them and smiled at her best friend. "No harm, no foul," she said, and Liz chuckled. Bidding goodbye to Madam Pomfrey, the three of them stepped out of the Hospital Wing and began to walk back to the common room.

"What's a pensieve?" Lily asked curiously as they walked. Potter snorted, but it was Marlene who answered. "It's like a basin, Lily… Dumbledore just has to empty the memories into it, and dive in – then he gets to watch them as you perceived them. Nice, eh?"

"Er – _dive in_?" she asked, nonplussed.

"The basin is magically huge – allows people to go into it," said Potter. "That way, they get an unobstructed view of the memories – mind you, there's no interaction with the people in the memory, because the events have already happened."

"So – like a movie," said Lily in understanding. Potter and Marlene exchanged a look of confusion before turning to her. "Er – what's a _movie_?" Marlene asked. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "It's like a story – recorded by camera, and they're using even computer graphics these days – er, never mind," she added, as the others looked completely at sea. "We could just go to watch a movie one day, then you'll understand better –"

"Like a date?" Potter interrupted. She surveyed him with irritation, but he remained unfazed. "What? The antidote's done – we succeeded! I can ask you out again – and hope you've changed your mind!"

"False hope, then," said Lily tersely. "I told you, Potter – I'm not going to go out with you!"

"Oh, c'mon, Evans – just one date!" Potter said earnestly, as Marlene looked as if she'd like to be anywhere but there. "I'm telling you – I'll grow on you." He gave her a winning smile.

"Fat chance," said Lily, glaring at him. "You're a fatheaded bully, Potter –"

"I don't mind being _your_ fatheaded bully," he said meaningfully, but Lily had had enough. She whipped out her wand and snapped, "I told you, NO! One more word and I'll hex you!"

He opened his mouth in protest, but froze as a distant scream echoed from somewhere ahead of them. "C'mon!" he exclaimed, and took off, with Lily and Marlene right at his heels. Another scream echoed, and they ran harder; they turned a corner and skidded to a halt.

"Shut up!" yelled a horribly familiar voice, and Lily noted, with a sinking heart, the tall, muscular frame of Fabian Prewett, standing in front of a girl who lay on the ground, shaking and crying silently. Up close, Lily recognized her as a girl in their year, whom she'd often seen in their Potions class. Wasn't her name Brenda Hastings?

"Woah, Fab – what're you doing, mate?" said Potter, holding up his hands. Fabian spotted them, and his mouth curled into an uncharacteristically evil smile. "Just putting this arrogant girl in her place, mate," he replied, and raised his wand again. "Don't you _dare_ say Mudblood again!" he shouted at Brenda. "In fact, how about I teach you a lesson? _Crucio!_ "

Brenda began and rolled about on the floor in pain, but because she'd apparently been struck dumb, not a sound came from her. Fabian lifted his curse after a few seconds, leaving the girl shaking uncontrollably and sobbing soundlessly. Lily was shocked beyond measure; Fabian had used an Unforgiveable Curse for no reason at all. _That stupid Widerwille Potion!_ she thought in frustration. "He's not himself!" she exclaimed just as Potter raised his wand. "You moron, Fab! _Stupefy!_ "

Fabian deflected the Stunning Spell easily and turned to them, his brow raised in surprise. "What was that for, Potter? Don't you see I'm just giving it back to her – for brazenly calling people 'Mudblood'?"

"By _torturing_ her, Fab? Really?" Potter yelled back. "You need to settle down, mate – I know what's wrong with you!"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Fabian said furiously. He cast a jet of yellow light at them, but Potter raised a Shield Charm to defend them. Beside her, Marlene had whipped out her wand, too. "Watch our backs, Lily!" she shouted and fired an Impediment Jinx and a Stunner at Fabian in quick succession, but the redhead deflected them easily once again. Lily defended Potter and Marlene as Fabian fired spell after spell at them, deflecting their spells easily at the same time. There was no doubt about it; he was an incredible dueller.

Fabian let out a flurry of spells, and Lily was barely able to hold on. This was insane, he was taking on the three of them without breaking into a sweat. He sent a Stunner at Potter and another jet of yellow light at Marlene, and in that split second, Lily made her decision – she preferred to save a defenceless Marlene from an unknown spell, but in that crucial second, Potter was unable to defend himself, and fell over, unconscious.

"One down!" roared Fabian, and continued firing spells at them at a furious rate. Pushed back on the defensive, Lily and Marlene defended desperately, but a Body-Bind Curse hit Marlene, and she dropped back, still and rigid. "Just you, then," said Fabian, a mad grin on his face; he looked beyond reason. "I gave that little scumbag a punishment to remember for saying Mudblood – and _you_ are attacking me, Lily? You should be on my side!"

"You used an Unforgiveable Curse, Fabian!" she cried, defending hard still. She was sure that with the racket they were making, someone should come soon… But until then, she had to make sure that she fought until then. She had to find a better defence – the Shield Charm was only temporary, and routinely cracked against a strong barrage of spells from Fabian.

Her mind suddenly went to their DADA class that week. They'd started with the Elemental Waves, and Professor Malfoy had said that while the Wave had a potential to destroy, it manifested itself in a form that the user needed – it could even make a temporary but formidable defence if cast right. They hadn't yet cast it, though – it was a difficult process, so they would just be learning the theory that year; but Professor Malfoy had said that casting that spell would be the end of the year exam, which gave them a month to prepare.

Fabian let loose a quick barrage of spells, and Lily acted on instinct; she shouted, " _Flammunda!_ " A wave of fire erupted from her wand, and quickly took the form of a sheet. She watched in astonishment as Fabian's spells simply collided with the sheet of fire, which absorbed them – hovering protectively in front of her all the time. She felt as if she was being punched with moderate force as his hexes hit the Fire Wave, but she held on, concentrating with every fibre in her body…

"Elemental magic, eh?" Fabian said, "Not bad! But it won't work! _Aguamenti!_ "

The jet of pure water collided with her Fire Wave, which began to weaken – Lily kept it up desperately through sheer force of will, and some of the water evaporated, but the Fire Wave was diminishing… Until it was extinguished completely. Exhausted, Lily prepared herself for the worst… She helplessly looked on as a jet of blue light flew towards her, but before it hit her, it just vaporized mysteriously.

"Enough, Prewett," said a soft female voice, and Lily spun around to see Professor Malfoy standing behind her, her wand out. "What're you doing? Why are you attacking these students?"

"For your information, they attacked me first!" Fabian said rudely. "I was merely defending myself!"

"Professor," whispered Lily, "He's not himself, Professor – he's been dosed with Widerwille Potion –"

"Is that so?" said Professor Malfoy, raising her eyebrows. "In that case, Hospital Wing, Mr Prewett…"

"No – I'm fine, you bigoted bat!" yelled Fabian, and shot a powerful curse at Professor Malfoy, who deflected it almost lazily. Fabian let loose a barrage of spells once again, and Lily looked on with astonishment as Professor Malfoy defended herself without turning her hair, her haughty expression constant on her face.

" _Crucio!_ " Fabian screamed, but Professor Malfoy dodged the torture curse. "Enough!" she yelled furiously, and with a wave of her wand, Fabian Prewett was immobilized; he fell backwards onto the floor. "How _dare_ you use an Unforgiveable, boy!"

"He's – not himself," said Lily weakly. Professor Malfoy turned to her and asked, "How do you know that, girl?"

"Long story – but the point is, there's a cauldron of antidote in the Hospital Wing," said Lily. "Professor – he also used the Cruciatus Curse on that girl – Brenda Hastings." She pointed to the girl in question, who was unconscious. Professor Malfoy shook her head. "I have to report this to Professor Dumbledore," she said slowly. She pointed her wand at Brenda, she whispered something, and the unconscious girl's breathing grew easier at once. Turning to Lily, she raised her wand and said, " _Consanesco!_ "

At once, Lily felt her strength return. "Thank you, Professor," she said gratefully, and the teacher nodded imperiously. "Miss Evans – I am exempting you from the DADA final examination. You cast the Fire Wave to perfection, and you showed skill far beyond your years as you kept it up. I was watching you for a few seconds, ready to step in if needed – but you were doing very well on your own." Lily blushed; Professor Malfoy had never paid her a compliment before.

"Fire seems to be your element… I'd keep that in mind if I were you," continued the teacher. "I kept pushing you in class – I wanted to ascertain for myself that having no magical parentage had nothing to do with magical abilities. You are a supremely talented witch – you'll go far," she added, smiling faintly at Lily. "The Dark Lord is a buffoon – his blood supremacist agenda may have influenced my idiot of a brother and his good-for-nothing son, but it will never influence me," she said derisively.

"Are – are you talking about Lucius Malfoy?" Lily asked her tentatively. The teacher nodded and said, "Him – and his father, Abraxas. My brother…" She conjured stretchers and levitated the prone forms of Fabian and Brenda onto them. She proceeded to revive Potter and unfreeze Marlene, before healing them, too.

"Right – you three best get going to your common room," she said. "I'll take these two to the Hospital Wing… Stay out of trouble, OK? Just – cast Disillusionment Charms on yourselves and go back…" They nodded, and the professor gave Lily another faint smile. "Fifty points to Gryffindor, Miss Evans – for your exemplary skill. Take care." And with that, she levitated the stretchers behind her, and began to walk away from them, in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

"Wow – what just happened?" Potter asked her in surprise. "The last thing I remember is being hit by that Stunner…"

Lily smiled and began to explain as they walked back to the common room. Potter's and Marlene's faces registered shock and admiration when she told them about the Fire Wave, and of Professor Malfoy's timely arrival. She even told them of the teacher's views about her own family…

"Well – I have to hand it to you, Evans – good work!" said Potter appreciatively, clapping her on the back. She blushed as Marlene gave her hug and said, "Thanks for having our backs – we'd have been hit a lot before if it hadn't been for you!"

"You're welcome," said Lily, gratified. Together, they entered the common room, eager to narrate the events of the past few hours to Remus, Peter and Marlene. It had been an eventful evening…

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Lily's and Potter's accomplishment became public knowledge over the next few days. Dumbledore made the announcement the next morning, and several students were whisked away to the Hospital Wing for a check-up. Lily's guess about the Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks being spiked was subsequently proven correct, which meant that it was an easy task to administer the antidote. Lily didn't know what had made her happier: Professor Slughorn raving about her abilities and discussing how perfect the antidote had been; Professor McGonagall praising her observation and how well she knew her friends; Marlene telling her happily that her Dad had, in fact, been dosed with the same potion, and that he was now back to normal; Fabian Prewett coming up to her to apologise endlessly and telling her, relieved, that he wouldn't be expelled; Brenda Hastings thanking her shamefacedly and vowing never to say 'Mudblood' again; or Professor Malfoy treating her with a lot more respect than before, and telling the rest of the class to take pointers from her. She basked in the glory of their success with the antidote, earning the appreciation of the entire student community – except for the Slytherins, perhaps.

"So – win by two-hundred-and-seventy points to win the Cup," said Lily as she walked with Mary towards the stands for the final game of the Quidditch season; it was a beautiful morning in mid-May. "Sounds easy enough," she added dryly, and Mary rolled her eyes. "C'mon – I'm tense as it is!" she said. "Slytherin beat Hufflepuff last week – by two-hundred-and-eighty points, no less. Add to that the fact that they beat Ravenclaw by two hundred points, too – giving them the best point difference! Our team – they have a real job on their hands."

"True – but c'mon, even if we win by a lesser margin, we'd still come second, right? Second's not bad!" said Lily soothingly. Mary snorted. "Second to _Slytherin_?" she asked, her tone disbelieving. Lily pursed her lips. "I'm starting to reconsider," she said thoughtfully, "OK, you're right – we have to win this!"

They took their seats with the Marauders (minus Potter). "What d'you reckon – think we'll win?" Mary asked them hopefully. Black considered and said, "It's tough – Hunt simply _has_ to catch the Snitch, but we need to lead by hundred-and-twenty points before that." He shook his head and cursed loudly. "Dammit – this bloody Widerville Potion! When I find the wanker who spiked that Butterbeer –" he slid his index finger across his neck, miming cutting someone's head.

"So – any theories about that, Lily?" Remus asked her earnestly. She hesitated before shaking her head. "Nah – I didn't see anyone spike it. Dumbledore can investigate if he likes, but I doubt if he'll find anything… The culprit would've just Disillusioned themselves."

"I'm glad you're on our side, Lily – you sure think of a lot of stuff!" said Peter in relief, and she laughed. "Don't worry, Pete – no one's going to spike your drink with anything while I'm around." She ruffled his hair, and he grinned back at her.

"Good morning – and welcome to this season's final Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor!" boomed the perky voice of Dorcas Meadowes, and Lily cheered as both teams walked out to the centre of the pitch. "Slytherin have a strong lead, ladies and gentlemen – as it stands, Ravenclaw need to win this game by three hundred points, while Gryffindor need two-seventy – in other words, a lot hangs on the Chasers today if either of these teams stands a chance of winning!"

Her words were greeted with cheers and applause from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor supporters, while the Slytherins booed and jeered in response. Lily's heart sank; Slytherin, despite losing heavily to Gryffindor, were favourites to win the Cup.

Within minutes, the game began. "And here's Potter, immediately streaking towards the Ravenclaw goal – dodges Cooper, dodges Bell, gets away from a Bludger, too – that's some neat flying, folks!" Dorcas yelled into the Magical Megaphone as the crowd 'oohed' and 'aahed'. "Potter – passes to McKinnon – she SCORES! First blood to Gryffindor!"

Lily and the others cheered Marlene's goal enthusiastically. "That's the way, Marlene!" yelled Mary, her face flushed.

"And now – it's Kevin Bell – WHAM! – Bludger by Prewett, and Blythe with the Quaffle – a reverse-pass to Potter, an underarm pass to McKinnon – who SCORES – again! Twenty-nil to the players in scarlet!"

"You're the sheen, Marlene!" Black shouted, and the Gryffindor supporters laughed; but soon enough, that became their chant. "You're the sheen, Marlene!" echoed across the stadium as Marlene scored four goals in quick succession, with Gryffindor racing away to a lead of hundred points to zero as Potter's prolific season continued.

"Wow – Blythe hasn't even scored yet!" Lily said in wonder as Marlene scored yet another goal, her seventh of the match. Next to her, Black was dancing with joy. "What's gotten into McKinnon?" he exclaimed, half-disbelieving, half-delighted. "Wow – she's playing the game of her life!"

"It's like she's on steroids!" Lily exclaimed, and Black looked at her in confusion. "What're steroids?" he asked curiously. Lily shook her head and said dismissively, "Not important – focus on the game!"

The Gryffindor Keeper, Adam Wright, had made some incredible saves, too – he was yet to concede a single goal. If Liz caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs – right?

"Look at Liz!" Mary yelled suddenly, and Lily spied her best friend dive triumphantly with the Ravenclaw Seeker on her tail. "Go Liz!" she screamed as the Gryffindor supporters egged her on with great gusto. "And Bell scores!" came Dorcas's voice. "A hundred-and-ten to ten!"

Lily made a quick calculation in her head, and felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "If Liz catches the Snitch now, we win the match but lose the Cup!" Mary and Black turned to her in horror; Black let out an oath. "No, Hunt – don't catch it!" he shouted desperately, but it was futile –

And out of nowhere, a Bludger came towards Liz, who was forced to veer off course, just as Dorcas boomed, "Bell scores again! A hundred-and-ten to twenty, Ravenclaw trying hard to find a way back!" Lily heaved a huge sigh of relief before realizing who had hit the Bludger; with a shock, she realized that it was Gideon Prewett, who immediately signalled a timeout.

"Dammit – What's Gid doing?" Lily wondered aloud. "Why is he trying to knock _Liz_ off her broom?"

"Evans, use your head!" Black said, barely able to contain his glee. "Gideon distracted Hunt so that she wouldn't catch the Snitch – 'coz if she had, we'd have lost the Cup!"

"So he hit a Bludger at his _own_ teammate?" said Lily, raising her eyebrows.

"To make sure we win," responded Black. "My word – he's brilliant! That's what I'm talking about – a Captain who isn't afraid of doing something unconventional!" He was grinning.

"They must've taken the timeout to explain," said Remus mildly, just as the game re-commenced. Within two minutes, Marlene had scored thrice more to restore Gryffindor's one-twenty-point lead. "And Clark's diving! Has he seen the Snitch? Huntington's on his tail –"

"You can do it, Liz!" Lily screamed passionately. "Come on!" The Gryffindors urged Liz on loudly and fervently, and to Lily's elation, Liz drew level with Clark, who pushed her out of the way with his shoulder. Liz was up to the task, though; she pushed him sideways with interest, and proceeded to stand on her broom – a risky move, but she wasn't very far from the ground. Lily watched, heart in mouth, as Liz knocked Clark's arm out of the way, and made a wild grab with her hand, falling off from her broom in the process – but having been only about five feet above the ground, she landed gracefully on her feet, her hand raised in triumph and jubilation.

"WE WON! WE WON!" shrieked Lily, beside herself with joy. Next to her, the others were similarly jumping around, yelling incoherently. Lily looked up to see the Gryffindor team in a huddle, before they came to the ground and alighted from their brooms. The wave of Gryffindor supporters engulfed them quickly, and Marlene, Liz and the Keeper Adam Wright, the heroes of today's game, were hoisted on top of many willing shoulders. It was an incredible sight.

Professor Dumbledore handed the gleaming, lustrous Quidditch Cup to Gideon Prewett, who kissed it and raised it over his head to another deafening roar from the Gryffindors. The Cup was passed along to the entire team; one by one, each player raised it in tandem with a roar from the crowd before handing it back to the Head of Gryffindor House, who was sobbing tears of joy. Once that formality was taken care of, the entire team was hoisted on top of multiple shoulders once again, all singing 'You're the sheen, Marlene' and 'Nicely done, Huntington'. _Well – they could've been a little more creative_ , Lily thought wryly as she followed the rest of her House back into the castle.

The party that followed was massive. Fab and Gid disappeared for an hour-and-a-half, before returning with bottles of Firewhiskey and Butterbeer, along with several bags full of Honeydukes' sweets and snacks like Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties. The Marauders, like always, procured food from the kitchen: chicken and ham sandwiches, beef casserole, pasta, and a wide array of desserts. Music blared loudly from the Wireless, and Lily noticed to her elation that Liz was receiving an enormous amount of adulation for her diving catch that won them the match. _This is Liz's moment_ , she thought proudly, happy for her friend.

"Had enough of the adoring fans?" Lily asked Liz loudly as she extricated herself from a Gryffindor fifth-year who had pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her clean off the ground. "Hey – you had your fifteen minutes, now it's my turn!" Liz shouted back, chuckling and winking. Lily returned her beaming smile.

Just then, a series of whistles, catcalls and whoops went up; wanting to see the source of the commotion, Lily and Liz elbowed their way to the centre of the common room – and Lily immediately wished that they hadn't. It was Marlene, and she was locking lips with Sirius Black, not caring that a substantial number of people were watching them. They continued to kiss passionately, and Lily made a face before turning to Liz – who wasn't there. Looking around just in time to see a flash of gold exit the common room, Lily dashed to the portrait hole in pursuit of her best friend.

She found Liz sitting in the first classroom that she entered. Liz was sitting at the front desk, staring stonily ahead at the blackboard. "Liz?" she asked her friend tentatively, but Liz didn't respond. Lily placed a comforting hand over Liz's shoulder, and asked, "Liz? What is it, Liz?" She had a feeling about what she was about to hear, but she still wanted Liz to confirm it.

Liz's mouth curled into a mirthless smile. "C'mon, Lily – don't be daft. I know you've guessed why I'm upset…"

Lily took in a deep breath. "So – you like Black," she said, surprising even herself at how easily she'd said it out loud. "Since when has this been going on?"

Liz still wouldn't face her. "Er – since that day in the Hospital Wing," she replied softly. "When I apologised to him for that chessboard thing –" she grimaced, "—I dunno, I felt something _odd_. I couldn't bear it that I'd hurt him like that, and I was relieved when he was OK."

"That doesn't mean anything – it may just be that you care for him – like a friend?" said Lily.

Liz turned to face her at last, and her sea-green eyes were full of an intensity Lily had never seen before. "I wanted to kiss him that day," she said sharply, " _That_ mean something to you?"

"OK, fine, you like him," Lily responded tersely. "But you saw what just happened –"

"I think even someone blind would've seen that," Liz said scornfully.

"Still – they _kissed_ , Liz," Lily pressed on, "I think it's fair to say that they may even start to go out pretty soon."

"Here you go again, with your talent for stating the obvious," Liz said tetchily, but Lily let that one slide; Liz was upset, so she was bound to snap a little. She rubbed Liz's back comfortingly, and Liz's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I _knew_ I should've kissed him that day," she said, more to herself than to Lily. A single tear drooped from her eyes, and Lily quickly pulled Liz into a sideways embrace. Liz's usual stoicism gave way at last, and she buried her head into Lil's chest and began to cry.

"Sshh, it's OK, it's going to be OK," said Lily soothingly, but like always, she knew that her words were futile. She sat there, upset, and comforted her best friend…

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The Gryffindor team's euphoria of winning the Quidditch Cup didn't last too long, for soon enough, it was time for their exams. Lily struggled yet again with Transfiguration, but finally managed to turn her duck into a swan (she wasn't sure if she'd gotten it right, though; her swan's plumage was still a little green, like a mallard). Charms was a breeze; she was asked to summon her shoes from her dormitory – which she achieved with no trouble; as a bonus, Professor Flitwick asked her to freeze her shoes ( _Glacius!_ ) – with excellent results. In Herbology, she was asked to identify Gillyweed amongst a set of water plants (she did so after hesitating between Gillyweed and Duckweed), and cause a given bud to blossom into a flower within less than a minute. Her Potions exam was a piece of cake – she had no problem brewing an antidote for the blue-green poison she was given (having identified its constituents just by smell, she brewed her antidote within twenty minutes and spent the rest of the class listening to Professor Slughorn narrate an anecdote about one of his ex-students who was currently into Healer training).

Divination was again a problem – she predicted that unfortunately, she was going to fail the exam – but Professor Presprechen seemed satisfied with her star-and-planet chart, which helped her pass, though she lost points due to her incorrect prediction. Arithmancy and Astronomy went without incident, and Care of Magical Creatures was easy, too – she was simply supposed to calm an agitated Niffler enough for it to eat out of her hands – without talking or using magic. She achieved that by simply advancing towards the Niffler, and whistling in a soothing enough way that it stopped screeching and held its position until she began to stroke it. Others didn't do as well as her, though; there were students who emerged scratched and bloody, having tried to aggressively back the Niffler into a corner – a rookie mistake, considering that a cornered Niffler was extremely dangerous.

Professor Malfoy remained true to her word; Lily was exempted from her DADA exam, and awarded full marks for it, too. She noted with interest that Liz conjured a Water Torrent, though her best friend couldn't really explain why she had decided to go with Water rather than any other element. Exempt from the test, Lily spent the time revising the theoretical aspects of the Unforgiveable Curses that Professor Malfoy had taught during their final DADA lesson. She gained a good understanding of the Imperius Curse, for control, though she made up her mind to question their teacher of the other two…

One hour of History of Magic (Lily wrote her answers diligently, but was one of the few to actually do so) and they were free, done with their fourth year. Lily and Liz celebrated their newly-acquired freedom by going for a walk in the grounds (though they quickly got away from the beech tree below which Black and Marlene were engaged in a passionate snogging session). Liz was handling the situation with remarkable character, behaving normally with Black and Marlene, though she had confessed to Lily that her heart broke a little every time she saw them together.

"How's it going, Evans – Hunt?" came a voice, and they turned to see Potter, Remus and Peter grinning at them. "Fancy a game of Quidditch?" he added to Liz, who shook her head. "Nah – too lazy," she replied. He shrugged and said, "All right – I just need to find Sirius, his enthusiasm to play Quidditch is what we need." At that, Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Unlikely that he'll be playing any Quidditch today, James." Peter made a face, and Remus chuckled. Potter smirked and said, "I figured as much – he and Marlene haven't been able to keep their hands off each other for too long – and mouths, too, by the looks of it –"

"Ugh, did you _have_ to say that?" Lily said, a little disgusted. He grinned and said, "Maybe I could take a leaf out of his book. How about, Evans – will _you_ kiss me?"

Incensed, she snapped, "Shut up, Potter! How many times do I have to tell you – I'm not going to kiss you!"

"Suit yourself," he said, the smile never leaving his face. "You're missing out on something exemplary, Evans!"

"Anyone of you going to the QCL final in July?" Liz said swiftly before Lily could splutter out a retort. "D'you even have to ask?" Potter said, still grinning. "We're all going – it's in London, back in Britain after five years! And this time _they're_ coming, too!" he added, nodding sideways to Remus and Peter, who grimaced. "He's _making_ us," he said.

"C'mon, don't be a wet blanket, Pete," said Potter patiently.

"Great!" exclaimed Liz. "I just hope Puddlemere qualify again – but for that, they have to beat the PCQ, who are nothing to sneeze at –"

"Sorry – but what are QCL and QCP?" Lily cut in quickly, recognizing the danger of losing the thread of the conversation. "QCL is Quidditch Champions League – to determine the best Quidditch team in Europe," supplied Remus. Lily stared at him, and he flushed a little. "I do know a thing or two about Quidditch," he added, and Lily laughed.

"And PCQ is the Paris Club de Quidditch," said Potter. "That means the Paris Quidditch Club –"

"Yes, I got that, thank you," Lily tersely cut across him. "You should come," Liz said quickly, "It'll be fun!"

"I dunno – I'll think about it," said Lily, and that seemed to satisfy her friend.

Potter looked around and said, "It's almost dinnertime – shall we?"

"Er – go ahead," said Lily, "We'll be along in a minute…" Potter shrugged, and began to walk away. Remus smiled at them and imitated Potter, but Peter lingered. "Er – chess tonight, Lily?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure," she responded, and the fat boy beamed at her before hurrying along behind his friends.

"You should come to the match – I'm sure Puddlemere are going to qualify," said Liz, and Lily grinned. "Really? Maybe I'll ask Hans…"

Liz gave her a teasing smile. "Ooohhh, someone's excited," she said mischievously, and Lily punched her lightly on the arm. "What's the harm in asking?" she replied, and Liz's smile grew wider. "Nothing," she said, "Just make sure that it's a real date this time – not a charade like New Year's Eve." Lily went beetroot red, and aimed a punch at Liz, who dodged it, her eyes glinting wickedly. "Come back here!" Lily shouted, and chased her guffawing best friend back to the castle.

 _With friends like these, I don't need enemies_ , she thought wryly as she ran…

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It was time to go; they were standing at Hogsmeade station. The Leaving Feast the previous day had been delicious, though the mood had quickly turned sombre: they'd departed to yet another series of warnings from Dumbledore to stay together, take care, and most importantly, not get influenced by Voldemort's notions of blood purity. Dumbledore also told them that they were hoping catch the perpetrators of the Butterbeer-dosing incident in the Three Broomsticks soon, before (much to her embarrassment) praising her and Potter yet again. Their points were enough to win Gryffindor the House Cup for the second consecutive year, and Lily managed to forget the grim tidings of the war as she ate, spoke and had fun with the rest of her friends. Yet again, she had performed well on her exams – but this year, Potter had been able to beat her. _Next year_ , she resolved. _Next year…_

"Severus!" she called, spotting a familiar face in the crowd, and the black-haired boy nodded at her and came over at once. "I wanted to talk to you, actually," she said in an undertone; she had decided the previous night that she was going to voice out her suspicions about the involvement of his fellow Slytherins in the Butterbeer-dosing incident. "Can we ride together for a few minutes?"

He hesitated, then said, "Er – I made plans to ride with the boys…" He left it hanging, and she was inwardly disappointed. Throwing caution in the winds, she looked around to confirm that no one was within earshot, before addressing him, "Sev – do you know who dosed that Butterbeer with Widerwille Potion?"

There was a fraction of a second where hesitation appeared in his black eyes. "No," he said quickly, "Why would you ask me that?"

"Are you sure?" she pressed forcefully, and he actually took a step back. "Of course! Again, why;re you asking me that?" he said defensively.

"Then _how_ – did you figure out that it was the Widerwille Potion?" she asked him.

"Er – the symptoms, that made it obvious!" he replied earnestly, "Clear as day!" He didn't quite meet her eyes as he spoke, and she began to suspect that he was hiding something.

"Are you sure?" she repeated, looking directly at him. There was a moment before he appeared to wilt under her stare, but the next instant, his face was smooth and impassive. "Yes," he said, a little sullenly. "I dunno why you keep asking me…"

"No reason – I just wondered, that's all," she said quickly, giving him a weak smile. She was seething inwardly; she was sure that she'd just been lied to.

"Er – if that's all, I – I have to go," he said, and glanced over to where Rosier and Mulciber were standing; the latter leered at her a little bestially, and she glared back at him. "Fine," she said loftily, and giving Mulciber a sarcastic wave, she set off towards Liz. How Severus could be friends with such people, she couldn't understand.

She came up to Liz, only to find her friend staring after the retreating forms of two familiar people with narrowed eyes. "Hey – what happened?" she asked Liz, who grimaced. "Nothing – I just asked Marlene if she was going to ride with us, and she replied none too politely that she was going to spend some quality time with her 'boyfriend'. Hah!"

"I didn't know you wanted a live show of Black and Marlene kissing and thrashing around," said Lily dryly, and Liz made a face. "Ew, no! She can ride with whoever she wants – but you should've seen her, Lily, she was all pretentious and pompous!"

"Tautology and alliteration – nice," Lily deadpanned, and immediately received a smack on the head from an irritated Liz. "You're not listening! She was being like that on purpose – well, two can play this game. I'll show her," Liz said, her face set.

"Hey – don't do anything stupid, Liz," Lily cautioned, but Liz shook her head. "No – I won't do anything rash. I'll be methodical – and if possible, diabolical. Oh, yes," she added, and rubbed her hands together, with a very un-Liz-like smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You wait and watch…"

Just then, Mary trudged up behind them with her trunk in tow. "Sorry – the carriages, I got caught in the rush like an idiot!" she exclaimed. Catching the frown on Lily's face and Liz's sinister smile, she added bemusedly, "What'd I miss?"

"Er – nothing," said Lily casually. "C'mon – let's go…"

But as she settled into a compartment with Liz and Mary, she sincerely hoped that this was the last she'd seen of a possible Liz-Marlene feud.

She was wrong.

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 **Author's note:**

There, fourth year done and dusted! The year with the infamous Snape-Lily friendship breaking scene is coming up – soon! I hope you all are enjoying this story. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	42. Chapter 41

Thanks for the review, SIriusJamesLupin. You rock!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-One**

" **That's neither here nor there."**

"A rematch of last season – and a chance for redemption!" said Liz happily as the little group took their seats. "The Guerreros won't know what hits them!" Lily settled herself next to Liz, and Hans took the seat next to her. Potter, Remus, Peter and Mary headed to the row behind them, so that the entire group could enjoy the match together. All around them, the colossal stadium seemed to be filling up with a sizeable number of families – Lily noticed several little children with navy blue paint on their cheeks. She grinned; people seemed to be extremely passionate about Quidditch.

"Don't be so sure – we saw what happened last year," countered Black, as he plonked himself between Liz and Marlene. "Puddlemere were heavy favourites – and they choked, didn't they?"

"I'm an _optimist_ , Blackie," Liz shot back. "You're just sore that the Tornadoes lost in the quarters!"

"To the bloody Lisbon Leões, no less," said Black, shuddering slightly. "I mean – who's even _heard_ of them?"

"To be fair, they're Portugal's number one team," Hans pointed out, and Black rolled his eyes. "Come on, German bloke! They're nowhere close to English, French, Spanish _or_ West German Quidditch teams!" he exclaimed.

"That kind of showcases the Tornadoes' talent, doesn't it?" Lily said dryly, and Black glared at her before shrinking back in his seat sulkily. Liz and Mary shot her approving grins, which she returned with interest.

It was a beautiful evening in the middle of July, and they were at the Quidditch Champions League final at a little town called Tilbury on the outskirts of London; Tilbury served as the headquarters of the London Quidditch Club, and the home ground of the England National Quidditch Team. The magnificent, sixty-thousand seater stadium was situated at the banks of the Thames, which ensured that a cool breeze kept blowing over it throughout. The match was scheduled to begin at eight o'clock, and if it ran past sunset, the stadium would be magically illuminated.

In her last letter to Hans, Lily had planned to ask him if he would like to go to the match with her; however, he'd beaten her to it, telling her that he could take a portkey to London, and one back once the match ended. Lily had readily agreed, and he'd explained how the European portkey system worked; from the capital of each country, there were portkeys to the capitals of its neighbours at every fifteen minutes. This meant that to come to London, he had to take a portkey from West Berlin to Paris, and one from Paris to London. A portkey cost two galleons, but he had no problem spending eight galleons to come to watch the match with her. Hans had boldly said that he was asking her out on her date, and she'd felt a giddy with happiness as she'd sent her reply to him, giving her consent to join him at the game.

Accordingly, they had all decided to rendezvous at Marlene's house: the Marauders, her and Mary, that is. Liz had bullishly told them that she would meet them directly at the match, and they'd all arrived by a ninety-minute ride on the Underground. Hans, able to apparate, had arrived at the stadium directly, and the first thing he'd done after spotting Lily was engulf her in a bone-crushing hug. They'd walked together, hand in hand, talking about a variety of things; Lily had blushed every time Liz, Marlene or Mary made any sort of fake cough or gave her a teasing, suggestive smile. The Marauders, on the other hand, had courteously exchanged pleasantries with Hans, although she noticed that Potter had been stiff and rigid while doing so, and he'd remained taciturn and sulky until they'd all proceeded to take their seats.

"Anyone willing to take a bet? Five galleons – I say Puddlemere chokes again!" exclaimed Black, and immediately earned himself a bunch of glares from Liz, Potter, and unsurprisingly, Hans. "I'll take that bet," Potter said immediately, and produced five galleons. "It's Puddlemere's time this year!"

"Here's my five galleons, too," said Hans, and added his money over Potter's in the pointed hat Black produced. " _Leichtes Geld_ – or as you Britons say, easy money." Lily grinned and said, "Ooh, someone's pretty confident!" Hans grinned back and said, "I support only the best teams!"

"Really? Not forgetting who beat who in last year's World Cup, are we, German bloke?" Potter said waspishly, a smirk on his face that was more of a grimace. "Watch it, Potter," she said irritably, "No need to debate about –"

" _Nein, kein Problem_ ," said Hans reassuringly, shaking his head and patting her shoulder. "He is right… Though we were the better team overall, England beat us in the shootout – and that's what counts. _Die wichtige Momente_ … The key moments," he added, and Potter looked a little surprised. "Er – yes, I'm glad you understand," he said quickly, before turning away and engaging an amused-looking Remus in conversation. Lily had the distinct impression that Potter had been trying to pick a fight with Hans, but the latter had tactfully sidestepped his attempt. She felt her respect for him rise… She settled her head on his shoulder affectionately, and he grinned and put his arm around her, making her feel light-headed once again.

"I'm hungry," Peter announced, "Don't these games have any snack tables?"

"Just like you, Peter," said Mary, rolling her eyes and delving into her bag for something. "Here," she said, and produced a bag of potato crisps. "Wow, thanks, Mary, you're the best!" exclaimed Peter happily, and Mary went a little pink before murmuring, "It's no problem." _What is going on here?_ thought Lily curiously, exchanging a significant glance with Liz. _Does Mary like Peter?_

"Here's my five, too," said Marlene, and put five galleons in the hat. "I'm sure Puddlemere is going to win today. You sure you have enough gold, Sirius?" she added slyly, and he grinned. "Oh – if I don't, I'm sure you'll relieve me of my debts – won't you, sugar?" Black replied serenely, and bent forward to kiss her. Marlene giggled and reciprocated, and Lily immediately turned away, but not before she saw the anger in Liz's eyes as she steadily stared at the pitch.

"Er – why don't you two do that – er, _later_?" said Remus awkwardly, but Potter laughed. "You're too polite, mate," he said mischievously, and promptly smacked Black in the head. "Wow, Sirius – I don't think much of your style! Nose-to-nose, really?" he said with a wicked twinkle in his hazel eyes as Black surfaced, looking embarrassed and faintly irritated at the interruption. Marlene just punched Potter on his arm and said, "Butt out, James – or I'll hex you." Potter simply grinned and turned away to exchange a clap with an equally-amused Peter.

"Er – your friend is a little _unreif_ – immature," said Hans in an undertone to her, and she snorted. "He isn't my friend – just an acquaintance," she replied dismissively, but whispering in case Potter heard. "Sure – he is clever and frightfully good at Quidditch," she added grudgingly, "But he's a fatheaded bully who torments a close friend of mine."

"Oh, c'mon," said Hans, "Boys do these things all the time. Maybe he's just jealous."

Lily laughed. "Jealous? What does he have to be jealous about?"

But before Hans could answer, a booming voice echoed across the stadium. "Welcome – welcome, to the Quidditch Champions League final! In a rematch of last year, the same two teams do battle – Puddlemere United versus the Madrid Guerreros!"

The crowd clapped and roared, and Lily and her friends waved their Puddlemere flags and took out their Omnioculars as they cheered enthusiastically. The atmosphere was electric; not as charged as the Quidditch World Cup, but exciting nevertheless. Perhaps it was because the competition took place every year, while the World Cup was a four-year event…

"Who's commentating?" asked Mary.

"It's Jacob Hendricks – a former England player," replied Liz promptly. "He's from Mum's time!"

"And without further ado, let us welcome – the Puddlemere United Quidditch team," shouted Hendricks. "I give you – Underwood! Kowalski! McGrath! Bradley! Harrison! Müller! Aaaaaand – Anderson!"

"There he is!" Liz yelled excitedly, as seven figures in navy-blue robes flew onto the pitch. "I love you, Grant!" she called, and Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he heard you," she said, her tone wry, and Liz grinned. "I'm counting on it," she shot back mischievously, and Lily laughed.

"I hope Müller wins it this time," said Hans feelingly. "She's well admired in West Germany – we're not doing so well after she retired. But it's good that she played Club Quidditch for one more year."

"Maybe it will be second time lucky for Diane Müller," said Lily soothingly, even as she remembered the beautiful, elegant blonde. In ten short minutes, Lily had grown to admire the former West Germany Quidditch Captain with all her heart, whom she'd met at the previous year's World Cup.

"And now – the Madrid Guerreros! Gomes! Sanchez! Garcia! Mascharenas! Monet! Moretti! Aaaaaand – Rodriguez!"

The Guerreros fans clapped and cheered as their team flew onto the pitch in robes of pure white, and Liz looked at Lily sombrely. "Rodriguez is an incredible Chaser," she said, "He's been holding the record of most goals in the Spanish Quidditch Liga – for the past five years!"

"Don't worry – I think Müller and Anderson are more than a match for him, and Harrison's a prodigy, too!" said Hans reassuringly. "Remember last year?"

"Too right I do," said Liz heavily, "A hundred-point lead – and Sanchez catches the Snitch!" She shuddered. "Bradley was so devastated – but luckily for us, he didn't let the team down in the World Cup!"

"Unluckily for _us_ , that is," Hans said dryly, and Lily rubbed his hand in a comforting sort of way. He smiled and said, "But England won fair and square – so no problems there!"

"The referee – from the Lega Italia – Giuseppe Ricci!" yelled Hendricks, and a wizard wearing robes of all black sauntered onto the pitch with a crate containing the Quidditch balls. The Captains shook hands, and the referee blew his whistle – the game had begun.

"They're off!" screamed Hendricks. "Here's Rodriguez! Gomes! Garcia! Back to Gomes! Ooh, Müller intercepts! Harrison! Anderson! Müller – SHE SCORES! Ten-nil to Puddlemere!"

Lily cheered madly with Hans and Liz as a deafening roar echoed across the stadium. Soon, the Quaffle was back in play.

"Müller! Anderson – nice juggle – Müller again! Harrison! Anderson – he SCORES! Twenty-nil!"

"Wow – they're on fire!" Lily exclaimed in wonder, but Liz didn't hear her – she was too busy cheering her favourite player.

Within ten minutes, it became obvious that the British and Irish Quidditch League champions were playing as if to avenge their loss last year. Despite the teams being almost the same as the previous year, Puddlemere cut through the Guerreros' defence like a knife through butter, and scored with an incredible proficiency. Their Beaters were superior, too – not once did a Bludger hit a Puddlemere player, while there were constant Bludger disruptions in the Guerreros' attack, forcing them to scatter. Lily cheered madly once again as Hendricks yelled, "Harrison scores – one-fifty to twenty for Puddlemere – dear me, it's like the Puddlemere Chasers are having an internal competition – five goals apiece!"

"This is – _wow_!" exclaimed Lily in wonder as Hans cheered with supreme ecstasy. "Amazing! Just three more goals – then it won't matter who catches the Snitch! _Komm schon!_ " Lily supposed that this was another German expression, and she didn't have to wonder what it was for very long, for Hans added, "That's German for 'come on'!"

"Yeah, I figured," she said, grinning, " _Komm schon!_ " Hans beamed at her at that.

It seemed as if Puddlemere could do no wrong. They scored again and again, and the Guerreros supporters were barely audible as the match went on. "That's three hundred!" boomed Hendricks in excitement. "Three hundred to fifty – this match is turning out to be a lot more one-sided than last year! All of the Puddlemere Chasers have scored more goals apiece than the Guerreros have – combined!"

"Some stat, eh?" Liz said joyfully. "I'm telling you – this is payback, and payback is a bi –"

"Yeah, I got it!" Lily cut across her best friend, "But c'mon – it's a game, not a war –"

But at that moment, Hendricks shouted, "And Bradley's diving! Has he seen the Snitch? HE HAS – AND HE'S CAUGHT IT! PUDDLEMERE WIN!"

All at once, the Puddlemere supporters stood up to yell and cheer in great ecstasy. "That's what I'm talking about!" she heard Potter yell. "Go Puddlemere!" Next to her, Liz was jumping up and down, and her best friend quickly pulled her in a tight embrace.

" _Komm schon! Kya baat hai! Vamos!_ Come on!" yelled Hans in exhilaration, and Lily turned to him, amused. "What're you, a linguist?" she asked, laughing. Hans grinned back and said, "One language is not enough to express myself!" he declared, and pulled her into another bone-crushing embrace. Lily felt her heart beat faster as she felt his warm hands, and the scent of his cologne… She had never felt this way before. Right then, she wanted to kiss him – she drew back and looked directly into his light-brown eyes, and saw them filled with a passionate longing, too.

He held face gently in his arms and drew forward to kiss her. His face was too close, and she could count almost every hair in his eyebrow. She closed her eyes, her heart thumping, and inched her face forward, too –

A powerful explosion rang through the night, and they suddenly broke apart. Lily looked around in horror as the crowd began to scream – a part of the stadium's right stand was aflame; it looked like it had been hit by a Blasting Curse.

She spied several people on broomsticks above them, but none of them were Quidditch players; in fact, they were all hooded and wearing black robes. "Death Eaters!" Liz exclaimed, and whipped out her wand. "C'mon – we need to get out of here!"

Together, they joined the mad rush towards the stairs. She grabbed Hans's hand tightly as they quickly made their way down the steps, being buffeted sideways by the panicked crowd, but as they neared the bottom, Lily spied Liz waiting for her at the bottom. "We're going to have to fight!" she yelled, "There's so many of them!"

"Is there any portkey point here?" Lily screamed at her as people ran helter-skelter around them, but it was Hans who answered. "Yes – about a mile up the river!" he shouted. "Come on!"

"No – where're the others?" Lily shouted in a panic, unable to spot any of her friends – but to her relief, she noted Marlene and Black ahead of them, with Peter right at their heels. "Oh, there you are – where's James?" Liz asked, hugging Black in relief, and ignoring Marlene's angry glare in her direction.

"Dunno – c'mon, we need to find them!" Black shouted, and brandished his wand. "Then we must get to the portkey point – and get help!"

"I'm sure people have managed to apparate out of here! They would've raised the alarm, too!" Marlene shouted as they ran amid screams and jets of light.

"No such luck!" Hans yelled back. "I already tried to Disapparate and get help – but they must've cast some powerful Charms – it's impossible!" Lily's heart sank. How were they going to alert the authorities? "Stay along the river!" Hans added loudly from behind them. "Keep moving – I'll cover your backs! Best duellers – go forward!"

"That's me," Black said with a grin, and hurried ahead of them. As they came within sight of the portkey office, however – they skidded to a halt.

At least a dozen black-robed and hooded figures had the office blocked. They were raining spells on the incoming rush of people, some of whom were fighting back – but the majority scattered in a panic. It was utter bedlam. They quickly found shelter behind a huge oak tree that stood on the riverbank as the screams and shouts continued around them.

"James!" Liz shouted, pointing, "There he is!"

Lily looked in the direction Liz was indicating and spied a figure with untidy black hair, contrasted against the reddish evening sky. But something was wrong – Potter and Remus were carrying someone, someone who looked horribly like –

"Mary!" Marlene screamed in horror as Potter and Remus set her down gently under the tree. Mary looked unconscious, and there was blood slowly trickling from a cut on her forehead. "Wake up, Mary – _Rennervate!_ "

Mary groaned a little, but slumbered again. Clearly, the knock on her head had dazed her.

"May I?" offered Hans, and Marlene drew back at once. Hans waved his wand once, and the cut on Mary's head healed immediately. He said gravely, "It's a head injury – we shouldn't – er, mess with that. Perhaps it is better if she stays here."

"Then someone needs to stay with her – until we can fight our way to the portkey office," said Potter grimly. "I'll do it," volunteered Peter immediately, and Lily noticed Black rolling his eyes. "C'mon, Pete, don't be such a –"

"No, we need someone to stay here," interrupted Potter. "Look, people are running scared, and those slimy Death Eaters are preventing anyone from reaching the portkey office, so that adds to the confusion – here's what I think we should do. We fight," he said simply.

"Blimey, I was starting to think we should surrender," said Liz, her voice laced with sarcasm. " _Of course_ we're going to fight – but c'mon, we can't attack brazenly, can we? They have us outnumbered!"

Hans, who had been silent all this while, now spoke up. "Disillusionment Charms," he said slowly. " _Ja_ , that will work – who is the fastest amongst you all?"

Everyone looked at each other, not quite sure what to say. Hans shook his head and said, "Decide! _Schnell!_ Not much time left – two of you must Disillusion yourselves, run, get to the office, take a portkey – and get help! The others will engage _die Fiende_ in battle. Who is ready to run?"

"I'll do it," said Marlene, her face set. "I can run fast enough."

"I'm coming with you," said Black, and stood up.

"What? You're amongst the better duellers here, Black!" exclaimed Liz, scowling. "Surely you'll be of more use here!"

But Black shook his head. "Marlene can't do it alone – someone has to watch her back!"

" _Gut_ , come here," said Hans, and raised his wand as Marlene and Black approached them. A few seconds later, they almost vanished from view, thanks to his powerful Disillusionment Charm.

"Nice, well done," complimented Lily. "I couldn't have made them so translucent –"

"Yeah, we can talk about your Charmwork later, Evans!" Potter snapped. "Now – we must attack so that they don't notice two hidden people get into the office. You lot ready?"

"Yes," said Liz tersely, and next to her, Remus raised his wand and nodded firmly. "We should pair up," he said mildly, "Increases our chances of coming out unscathed."

"Well put," said Liz, "I'll watch your back, Remus – and you watch mine." He nodded, smiling.

Lily and Hans exchanged a look of understanding, and Hans nodded at her slowly to indicate that he had her back.

"I can do this alone," said Potter, a little scornfully. "Marlene, Sirius – good luck! And hurry!" And without a backward glance, he dashed off into the fray on his own.

"Oh, for heaven's sake –" began Lily with annoyance, but she was interrupted by Black. "See you in a bit!" came his disembodied voice, and he and Marlene (presumably) ran off towards the portkey office.

"Well – come on, then!" said Hans, and the four of them followed the retreating form of Potter, right in the middle of the spectators who were still running helter-skelter. They pushed and shoved their way through the crowd as they came up to the office, where the dozen masked figures stood, blocking the door and indiscriminately firing spells at anyone who tried to come forward. _Why isn't everyone overpowering them at once?_ Lily wondered, but she had her answer soon – the dozen figures suddenly let out smoke from their wands, and sent their temporarily blind opponents flying away. They were well-coordinated; any time a group tried to attack them, spells would rain on the group, who would be forced to scatter. She noticed that the families with children were retreating, away from the barrage of spells.

"You know what drives away smoke, right?" Potter panted just as they all caught up with him. "Wind! _Tempestas!_ "

A powerful gale-like hurricane erupted from his wand, and Lily watched his wonder as the Air Wave simply blew the smoke away. "I'm over here, coward!" Potter yelled at one of the hooded figures. " _Stupefy!_ "

The hooded figure fainted in front of them. Rallied by Potter's counterattack, Lily and the others charged forward. " _Impedimenta! Stupefy! Impedimenta!_ " yelled Lily, raining spells on one of the hooded figures, who kept blocking them with ease. " _Confractus!_ " he yelled, and Lily dived aside to dodge the jet of blue light. " _Confringo!_ " he screamed, but Lily deflected the Blasting Curse; it hit a nearby fence, which burst into flames.

"You're not bad," her opponent yelled at her. "I like that!"

"Oh, yeah? How do you like this? _Flamma Dromonem!_ " Lily shouted back, and the Death Eater let out a scream of pain as the Flame Cutter hit him. "You'll pay for that!" he yelled angrily. " _Confractus!_ "

She dodged the Curse yet again; she was sure that it was Dark Magic; why else would he be using it do often? " _Confringo!_ " she yelled back, but her own Blasting Curse was deflected by her opponent.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a few of the spectators rallying and fighting the hooded figures, more of whom were arriving by the minute. _Great, reinforcements_ , she thought grimly. _Just our luck!_

"You're feisty!" her opponent yelled. Then, to her surprise, he took of his mask, revealing a brutish face. He was only a few years older than her. "With skill like that, you'll do well to join our ranks! You pureblood?"

"That's neither here nor there," she spat, her eyes narrowed.

Her opponent's face curled into a mirthless smile. "So, you're a Mudblood – a pity, then. _Confringo!_ "

" _Protego!_ " she roared, and the Shield Charm stopped the worst of the spell; however, the force of it caused her to take a step backwards. She gritted her teeth and yelled, " _Cuferius!_ " But the Death Eater blocked the Nosebleed Jinx, and suddenly jerked his wand upward; she was bodily thrown ten yards through the air. She screamed in pain as she landed on her ankle; she could feel that something had broken. She struggled to rise as her opponent advanced on her, but her ankle was too painful.

"Like I said, it's a pity!" he said evenly, and slashed his wand once.

Lily witnessed a jet of purple light heading towards her, and reacted on instinct; raising her wand, she screamed, " _Flammunda!_ " Just as it had during her duel with Fabian earlier that year, the Fire Wave took a sheet-like form in front of her and simply absorbed the spell. She could see the Death Eater's face as his eyes widened with surprise. " _Aguamenti!_ " he yelled, but Lily was prepared; she concentrated with all her might, and before her very eyes, the Fire Wave managed to evaporate the jet of pure water, much to her enemy's chagrin.

Sensing that it would be easier to control the flames, she waved her wand in his general direction, and the Fire Wave suddenly compressed itself into a ball and headed straight for him. He screamed and began to hit it with spells, but it kept creeping forward – until he blasted it apart with a powerful barrage of Curses.

Exhausted, drained, Lily fell backwards, panting. Stars appeared before her eyes as she tried to ignore the pain in her ankle. She managed to raise her neck enough for the Death Eater to shout, "Enough! _Confringo!_ "

Lily raised her wand desperately, but before she could defend herself, a Shield Charm appeared in front of her and the Blasting Curse rebounded. A second later, her opponent had been hit by a Stunner. "Hans!" she shouted, looking at her saviour, who had overpowered his own opponent. Hans grinned. "I told you – I have your back!"

"Thanks, but who has yours?" she yelled back worriedly. Out of nowhere, a yellow jet of light charged towards Hans. "Look out!" she screamed with fear, but at the last minute, the spell was deflected by another jet of red light.

"I do," said a voice, and Potter stepped out from behind Hans. "I have his back." Potter proceeded to Stun the Death Eater who had shot the spell at Hans, before hurrying towards them.

A wave of relief hit her. "Thank you, Potter!" she shouted, and Hans grinned at him, too. "Thanks, _mein Freunde_ ," he said, and Potter gave him a curt nod in response. Then his face showed concern. "Evans – what happened?" he asked worriedly.

She grimaced. "Ankle – I think it's broken," she replied. The pain was almost unbearable.

"Here – allow me," said Hans soothingly, " _Sano!_ "

At once, her ankle glowed blue momentarily before returning to its unblemished state. She inspected it gingerly, elated; the pain was gone. Her ankle was repaired. "Better?" he asked her, grinning.

"Yeah, loads!" she replied cheerfully, and sprang to her feet. Then, acting on impulse, she grabbed the face of the boy in front of her and kissed him.

After minutes, days, even months or so it seemed to Lily, they broke apart. She looked into his eyes shyly, and couldn't help but notice that he looked a little dazed; however, a slow smile spread across his face, and her heart felt considerably lighter.

There was one person, however, who wasn't amused.

"I hate to interrupt," said Potter slowly, but his voice was angry, "But we still have a battle on our hands – so if you two would be so kind –"

"Yes, we're on it, Potter," said Lily, still smiling at Hans, whose grin, much to her embarrassment, now looked a little forced. They stood up, and Lily swayed a little; after all, she was still tired, but she hid her exhaustion as she followed the others back into the fray.

Suddenly, several figures appeared right out of the sky, and began to rain spells at the Death Eaters. Lily watched joyfully as the hooded figures began to scatter or disapparate, until only the new arrivals remained. After a few minutes of frenzied duelling, silence reigned.

Lily swayed again, feeling dizzy… _I must be more tired than I reckoned_ , she thought. Luckily, Hans noticed, and immediately caught hold of her. "I've got you," he said reassuringly, and slung her arm over his shoulders; with his hand on her waist, he helped her along as they walked towards the fighters who had arrived to help.

"Hello, Lily – not surprised to see you here, right in the thick of things," said a familiar voice, and Lily turned to her left to find Gideon Prewett smiling at her. His eyes flickered to Hans, and he asked, "And you are –?"

"Hans Neumann. I'm her – friend," Hans replied, with a sideways glance at her. Gideon nodded and said, "I see. Here to see the match, were you? I wanted to see it, too – but we had Auror training." He looked at the stadium rather wistfully. "Those bloody Death Eaters – they did a number on the stadium, all right. Dunno if it's damaged beyond repair."

"How come you're here, Gideon?" Lily asked curiously.

There was a flicker of hesitation in Gideon's eyes before he said carefully, "Well – you see, the Auror department is understaffed at the moment – so, for an attack of this scale, even the trainees are sent out for – field work." Lily was sure that he was leaving something out, but she nodded nonetheless. "We'd just finished our training for today – when Marlene and Sirius stormed into the Ministry headquarters," he continued. "They screamed something about an attack – and Anti-Disapparition Jinxes – we didn't ask too many questions, just made our way here as fast as we could – and forced these scumbags to retreat. I think my colleagues may even have apprehended a few of them."

Lily nodded, closing her eyes as she felt dizzy once again. "You OK?" Gideon asked her with concern.

" _Sie ist erschöpft_ – she is exhausted," said Hans. "Perhaps she should be taken to the Hospital –"

"No need – we alerted St Mungo's, Healers are on the way," said Gideon grimly. "An attack of this magnitude – haven't seen one this terrible in years." He shook his head sombrely. "This is bad, very bad… Anyway, c'mon, Lily – you need to a check-up, you look knackered."

"I can walk now – thanks, Hans," she added gratefully as she wriggled free of his grip.

Hans hesitated. "I am sorry, but I must take my leave," he said regretfully. "When my mother hears about this – she will be worried. I must go." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek (Gideon pointedly looked away) and said, "I'll write soon, OK?"

Lily nodded and said, "Despite what happened, Hans – I had a grand time."

Hans smiled back, but as before, it seemed a little forced to Lily. " _Ich auch_ , Lily – me too. Take care – _Auf Wiedersehen!_ " Lily waved back at him, and he turned once on the spot before disapparating.

"So – you're going out with the German bloke?" Gideon teased as they walked slowly towards a group of people. She blushed and said, "It was just one date – but I've been writing to him since last year. He's really nice!"

"I'm sure," said Gideon, his mouth twitching. "Now, c'mon – let's get you all fixed."

As they neared the group of people, Lily heard a familiar voice complaining, "I told you, Mum – I'm fine!"

"Trust young James to insist that he's fine after a battle – always so macho," said Gideon, rolling his eyes. Lily suddenly slammed her hand on her forehead. "Liz! The others! What happened –?"

But Gideon simply grinned. "They're all fine – we got to Liz and Remus first – then James, too. You were last."

Relief swept through Lily immediately. "And Peter and Mary? They were under that oak tree," she said, pointing. Gideon wrinkled his forehead. "I dunno – I'll check," he said, just as they joined the little group of people in front of them. Up close, Lily recognized Mrs Potter at once, and the older woman gave her a kind smile. "Hello – Lily Evans, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mrs Potter," replied Lily politely. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," said Mrs Potter. "The same, unfortunately, can't be said for you… Come here," she added, and Lily stepped forward. " _Consanesco!_ " said Mrs Potter, and at once, Lily felt her strength return. Mrs Potter gave her a thorough check-up before saying, "Your ankle seems recently healed, Lily – who healed it?"

"A – friend," said Lily evasively, blushing a little as she spoke.

"Hmm – good work," said Mrs Potter appreciatively, ignoring Lily's embarrassment. "How are you feeling now?"

"Fine – thank you very much, Mrs Potter," said Lily gratefully, and Mrs Potter smiled. "No problem, dear – though you must have put up the most intense duel, the others were shaken but mostly unharmed…"

Lily felt a little twinge of chagrin. No one else had required a Health Restoring Spell… Why had she been the most exhausted?

Just then, someone tapped her from behind. She turned swiftly, only to be engulfed into a hug by Liz. "God, Lily – I'm so happy you're OK – I thought you were –"

"Sssshhhh, I'm OK," whispered Lily reassuringly, and they broke apart. "When I saw you fly through the air, my heart nearly stopped," said Liz, talking faster than usual. "I wanted to come to your aid at once, but the bloke I was fighting was raining spells at me, and it was all I could do to defend myself –"

"It's OK – nothing happened to me, right?" said Lily. Liz bit her lip, and her eyes glistened with tears, but she fiercely blinked them back. "It's a pity how a group of teenagers had to step up and rally older, fully-grown wizards," she said, her tone caustic. "If everybody had attacked them together, we'd have forced them to retreat a lot sooner!"

"Hey – don't go blaming everyone else, Liz," said Lily holding up her hands, "Didn't you see, people had come with their entire families – don't you think that saving your family takes precedence over jumping headlong into battle?"

"Yeah, all right," said Liz, her shoulders sagging, just as Remus joined them. "Mary is fine," he reported, "She was a little dazed because she hit her head somewhere – but she's OK now. So are Peter and James."

"Good to know," said Liz, nodding. "Thanks for having my back, Remus."

"Right back at you," said Remus, grinning. Then, as he turned to her, his expression darkened a little. "Er – I thought you'd be worried sick, Lily – but you seem to be taking this surprisingly well. I reckoned you'd be anxious that you'd performed magic outside of school, despite receiving a warning…"

A dull blow hit Lily's stomach. She had completely forgotten about that letter from the Improper Use of Magic Office Christmas before last, and she looked around in a panic. "Oh, no! What do I do now?"

"Thanks a lot, Remus," muttered Liz, and Remus looked rather guilty. "Sorry – I didn't mean –"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Lily burst out, tears in her eyes.

"You're not," said Liz forcefully. "Magic can be used in life-threatening circumstances – and besides, you haven't used it in front of Muggles!"

"But I –" Lily started, but her best friend interrupted her. "C'mon – let's talk to Mr Potter, he'll be able to put this to bed." Liz took her arm and dragged her, with Remus at their heels. A little way ahead of them, Mr Potter was talking to someone with long hair, nodding and saying a word or two. The other person departed just as they arrived.

"Mr Potter!" Liz exclaimed, and James's father turned around. A tired smile spread across his face. "Hello, Elizabeth," he said, before his gaze went to them. "Remus – Lily, how are you?"

"It's Liz," corrected Liz, "And we're quite well, given the circumstances."

Mr Potter's ruggedly handsome features became sombre. "Yes – I've just sent Scrimgeour to check for more bodies," he said heavily, and Lily's heart sank. People had died? _Of course they had, you idiot – didn't you see the explosion?_ she thought dully.

"How – how many?" asked Liz, her mouth stretched out in a thin line.

"About twenty-three – and counting," said Mr Potter, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "This was a planned attack – if you all hadn't engaged them in battle and sent Sirius and Marlene to warn us, it would've been an even greater calamity… I guess that makes you lot heroes," he added, smiling despite himself.

"Er – Mr Potter, we performed magic outside of school – and I already have a warning," said Lily apprehensively, disregarding his compliment. "Does this mean I'll be expelled?" she added tightly.

Mr Potter gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, dear – magic is permitted in life-threatening circumstances, like I'm sure Liz here must've told you," he said, as Liz and Remus grinned at her together; she triumphantly, he with relief. "Besides, there were no Muggles around – but if you get any sort of letter to admonish you or summon you to a hearing, give me a holler, and I'll sort it out."

A wave of glorious relief hit her. "Thank you, Mr Potter," she said fervently, and the older man smiled. "My pleasure, dear – now, how about I get someone to take you home? You children have had a harrowing experience tonight, so it's best if you go home and take some rest. Williamson!" he called, and a man started heading towards them. "He'll drop you off," Mr Potter added.

"Er – if it's OK, Mr Potter, I was staying with Marlene…" said Lily, her voice trailing off. Mr Potter smiled reassuringly. "Sure, sure," he said, "Are you going there, too, Liz?"

A shadow appeared on Liz's face. "No – I'm going home," she said stiffly, turning away.

"Me, too," said Remus, and Mr Potter nodded, just as the man named Williamson came up to them. "Yes, sir?" he asked Mr Potter.

"Please take her – to Alfred McKinnon's house," requested Mr Potter, indicating Lily. "Alfred's here – but he has more pressing business." Williamson nodded and looked at her inquiringly. At that, Lily gave Liz and Remus quick hugs, and said, "Write to me! I'll see you soon!" They nodded their goodbyes, and she gave Mr Potter a small wave as well, a gesture which he returned. "Take care, Lily," he added, and she smiled. "I will, sir," she responded, before turning towards Williamson, who seemed to be indicating that she take his hand. She did so, and Williamson turned on the spot.

Lily wasn't prepared for what happened next; she felt as if she were being forced through a very tight, elastic tube. She was compressed from all sides, she couldn't breathe – she felt nauseous and she doubled the firmness of her grip on Williamson's hand, praying that she wouldn't faint –

And suddenly, everything stopped. Lily's feet hit the ground, and she swayed a little as she let go of the Auror's hand. Everything looked familiar; she was standing in an alleyway just behind Marlene's building.

She couldn't help it; she retched, and threw up in front of her. Her companion rolled his eyes and non-verbally cleared her pool of sick, saying, "I take you've never apparated before?"

She shook her head, not wanting to risk opening her mouth. "Don't worry – most people vomit the first time they apparate, the sensation takes some time to get used to," said Williamson, grinning. She nodded again as he escorted her to the doorway of Marlene's apartment building. "This is where I leave you," he said, and she managed to cough out, "Thank you." The wizard nodded, and took off; a second later, she heard a tiny _pop_ as he disapparated.

She quickly made her way to Marlene's house, taking the lift. She knocked once as soon as she arrived at the door, which burst open almost immediately. "Lily!" Marlene shouted, and embraced her before dragging her inside. Lily sat down at the dining table, and Marlene took the seat in front of her. "I'm so glad you're OK – how are the others?" her friend said agitatedly, and Lily could see tear tracks on her face. She gave Marlene a tired smile. "Everyone's OK, Mar," she said soothingly, "What we did worked – well done, by the way, you saved our skins – I dunno how much longer we'd have held on –"

"They wouldn't let me return to help!" exclaimed Marlene, as Mrs McKinnon handed Lily a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "And a good thing, too!" she said reprovingly, "Are you out of your mind? You're a child! Leave this to the authorities!"

"I'm a child who slipped through Death Eaters and made it back to raise the alarm," Marlene shot back at her mother. "How many children could've done that, Mother?"

"I said you're a child – I didn't say you're a coward, did I?" said Mrs McKinnon, sounding exasperated yet proud at the same time. Marlene snorted but made no comment. "What happened?" she pressed Lily instead.

Briefly, Lily narrated what had transpired after they'd jumped into the fray. She described duelling the brute-faced Death Eater and holding him at bay for as long as she could before Hans's assistance. She told Marlene and Mrs McKinnon of how reinforcements for the Death Eaters arrived before being forced to retreat by the Ministry's Auror force. She talked about the Healers helping the injured, her subsequent meeting with Liz and Remus, and how Mr Potter had sent them all home. She left out the embarrassing fact that she had thrown up after apparating for the first time…

"Well – this is horrible," said Mrs McKinnon sombrely as Lily came to the end of her narrative. "This war – it's escalating every day. The Ministry needs to show some backbone – else they're just giving You-Know-Who a free pass!"

"C'mon, Mum – I reckon we're going to win this war," said Marlene reassuringly, and Mrs McKinnon looked at her steadily. "Oh, really? If the Ministry acts just as incompetently as it is now – who's going to fight the war?"

Marlene's cobalt-blue eyes met Lily's own, and she was sure that the intensity in her friend's gaze was also present in her own. She nodded tightly Marlene, who turned back to her mother, her jaw set in resolution; her face was inscrutable.

"Us," she said simply.

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	43. Chapter 42

Thanks for the reviews, Sri849, LynxGirl90, and KrystynaK. You are amazing people! And KrystynaK, I'm honestly flattered when you say that this is the best early Lily fic you've read so far. Thank you so much!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-two. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Two**

" **I really don't want you to get influenced by those people."**

Lily frowned to herself as the bus travelled smoothly along the road to Birmingham, where her cousin Matthew lived. She was visiting him and her Aunt and Uncle for two weeks, a longish vacation this time. It was the beginning of August, and the past few days had been a trying time for her – despite receiving no letter from the Ministry for using magic outside of school (she was sure Mr Potter had had something to do with that). The Wizarding World was at war, but it had never affected her directly before – until last month, that is. Sure, there had been acts of support to Voldemort in Hogwarts – their adventure in Hogsmeade, the meeting Liz had once stumbled upon, the whole business with Marcus Arnold, and the Widerwille Potion last year – but nothing had hit so close to home. A gathering of sixty thousand witches and wizards had been attacked, by not more than thirty people – who had still managed to cause a substantial amount of damage.

Lily glanced around furtively, and satisfied that no one was looking at her, rummaged in her rucksack for something… Until she found what she wanted: an edition of the _Daily Prophet_ from the day after the attack on the Tilbury Stadium. Unlike most people in the world, Lily possessed the gift to read inside a moving vehicle. Coverage of the calamity had been widespread in the magical community, and Lily's frown deepened as she read the headline for the tenth or twelfth time:

 _ **Fifty-five Killed, more than Four Hundred Injured in QCL Final Attack**_

 _ **Tilbury:**_ _A total of fifty-five people were killed and nearly five hundred were injured due to a devastating assault on the Tilbury Stadium yesterday. The attack occurred a few minutes after the conclusion of the Quidditch Champions League Final, which was won by Puddlemere United against the Madrid Guerreros. However, the evening quickly turned calamitous as more than thirty hooded figures set part of the stadium's famous Smith Stand (named after legendary England Seeker Fred Smith, Jr.) on fire, which resulted in the tragic demise of several Quidditch fans._

 _According to eyewitnesses, once the stand was aflame, the attackers cast an Anti-Disapparation Jinx over the stadium and its surrounding areas. They then proceeded to wreak havoc over the panicking crowd; a few spectators tried to fight back, but were quickly overpowered. The attackers took control of the portkey office to block spectators from leaving, but the Ministry of Magic was alerted quickly by fans who managed to escape. About a hundred Aurors from the Auror office were despatched for assistance immediately, with Healers from St Mungo's not far behind. The Aurors managed to repel the attackers effectively, three of whom were apprehended. The timely arrival of the Healers was instrumental in saving several lives._

 _The Ministry soon released a statement condemning the attack. "I strongly denounce this cowardly assault on innocent Quidditch patrons," said Minister for Magic Eugenia Jenkins last night, speaking from the Ministry's London Headquarters. "The Wizarding World may rest assured that we are doing everything we can to bring the perpetrators to justice." The Minister declined to comment on whether the assault was carried out by supporters of Lord – Thingy, who call themselves the Death Eaters – but the appearance of the Dark Mark just before the perpetrators vanished seems to confirm this fact. We are happy to report that the Quidditch players suffered no injuries, and that they were immediately spirited away once the stand was set aflame._

 _The attack has increased pressure on Minister Jenkins to step down. The magical community is in uproar over the fact that a handful of miscreants brought thousands of people to their knees – several of them foreign nationals, too. "This cannot go on," said Abraxas Malfoy, speaking from his Wiltshire home. "Quidditch has always been a part and parcel of our life, and our children, who have grown up playing and following the sport, need to feel safe. Why wasn't there enough security at the match? This is an absolute disgrace. The Ministry must bring these people to justice at once." Mr Malfoy is a well-respected member of the magical community, having made several generous donations to St Mungo's in the past._

Lily set the newspaper down, feeling a familiar rush of anger. She was sure that Lucius Malfoy was one of the participants in the raid; how could his father have the audacity to release such a statement? She felt a twinge of sympathy for Professor Malfoy, and wondered if she'd be returning next year. None of Lily's previous DADA teachers had lasted for more than a year, though except for Professor Walcott, all had left on their personal terms.

She wrinkled her forehead, thinking… Had the Dark Mark been seen? Or was the Daily Prophet making things up? She couldn't remember – then again, she'd been right in the middle of the crossfire, so she supposed that it had escaped her notice. She rummaged around in her bag once again, and found that morning's Daily Prophet. She read the front-page bulletin that she'd already read twice before:

 _ **Minister resigns as New Law is Passed**_

 _ **London:**_ _In a sensational development, the Minister for Magic, Eugenia Jenkins, resigned from her post yesterday evening. There had been increasing pressure on the Minister to step down after a series of attacks throughout the country by rumoured Death Eaters, compromising the safety of witches and wizards everywhere; however, the attack on the QCL Final was apparently the last straw._

" _It is with a heavy heart that I stand down tonight," the Minister said, sounding subdued as she addressed the Daily Prophet reporters. "During this crisis, it is my opinion that my esteemed colleague and Senior Undersecretary, Mr Harold Minchum, is the best man to lead the wizarding community against the menace that is – You-Know-Who. I wish Mr Minchum the best of luck, and may he succeed in his endeavours."_

 _There were rumours that the Minister's exit was accelerated because she apparently refused to pass a new law that has been in the works for the past few months – to legalize the use of Unforgivable Curses against the supporters of You-Know-Who. This law (the brainchild of Mr Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement) met with opposition from the Minister – however, with Minister Minchum, it is more than likely to come into being. The DMLE declined to comment on rumours of collusion between Mr Crouch and Minister Minchum to oust Madam Jenkins to get this law passed._

Lily set the newspaper down and gritted her teeth. A new Minister – a new law – she didn't like the shape this war was taking. _If we use the same curses as them, how are we any different?_ she thought indignantly. She wondered how her friends were taking the news.

The bus came to a halt at the Main Stand in downtown Birmingham, and Lily alighted it, clutching her little suitcase and her rucksack. Matthew was coming to pick her up, and she was already looking forward to meeting him… But not just because she hadn't seen him in a year. Nay, Lily had something else on her mind… And for that, she needed her cousin's help.

"Lily!"

She turned around at the sound of her name, smiling; standing behind her was Matthew himself, his face split by a wide grin. Almost six feet tall, muscly and handsome, with blond hair like his mother's and blue eyes, Matthew was a true specimen of fitness. He engulfed her in a hug as soon as she turned; she extricated herself, laughing.

"Good to see you, Lil – it's been ages!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Likewise, Matt – how're you?" she asked.

"Peachy," he replied promptly, "I had football practise this morning – then I quickly took a bath, wolfed down some breakfast, and hopped into a taxi to come and pick you up!" He hailed a taxi, which immediately came over to them. He helped Lily store her suitcase in the boot, and they both got in. Within seconds, they were off.

"So, how's football, Matt?" Lily asked conversationally, and he grinned. "Oh, it's great – I'm Vice-Captain of the senior team this year, and we're going to trounce everyone else! It's important that I play every match this year – y'know, there'll be scouts from both Birmingham City and Aston Villa – it'll be good for them the see the city's best player in action, wouldn't it?"

Lily laughed; Matt was passionate about football, and it was his dream to play for England one day. Of course, it was a long and difficult road, a fact that wasn't lost on Lily. "That's very ambitious, Matt – but there'll be a lot of matches, right? What if you get injured? And how're you going to handle all this with your studies?"

Matt grinned. "There's only one word for that, Lily – _fitness_. Yes, that's right," he added, catching her bemused expression. "If I'm so fit that I play my best in every match, there is no reason for me to not be noticed by the scouts! Plus – that fitness will allow me to do well in school, too!"

"But how – _how_ will you stay so fit?"

"Easy," he said, "Exercise – and diet. I watch what I eat, and I exercise a lot – both are equally important. If I'm able to run around for hours every day without getting tired, it's because I'm trying hard to remain fit at all times!"

She smiled; this was what she'd been hoping to hear.

"That's good, Matt," she said, "Because I need a favour."

"Well?" he asked inquiringly.

She paused. "Er – I need to increase my fitness," she replied, and an expression of surprise appeared on his face. "Why, what happened? You seem plenty fit to me – you rarely fall ill, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said, unconvinced. "But what I mean is, I need to increase my stamina. I need to be able to run fast or do a lot of strenuous exercise – without tiring out in five minutes. That's why I need your help."

"I see," he responded, "And what brought this on?"

"Er," she said as she searched hard for a lie, "You see – a few of my friends play sports, and they're always teasing me for not being able to keep up with them, fitness-wise. The other day, I – I kind of lost a race against them, and they're never going to let me hear the end of it." She didn't look at him, but stared out of the window as she spoke. She'd been feeling ashamed because she'd nearly fainted after a small period of using the Fire Wave – while effective, it had sapped her strength at an alarming rate, and she didn't want a repeat of that to happen. If, one day, she ended up joining the fight against Voldemort, she shouldn't die because she was weak…

"All right," said Matt, sounding somewhat doubtful. "I'm sure there's more to this, Lil – but I'll let it pass for now, considering you want to learn the stuff us athletes are made of." He puffed out his chest proudly, and Lily rolled her eyes. "Are you going to help me or not?" she asked him.

He grinned. "'Course I'm going to help you! You're here for two weeks, right? I'll whip you up into shape in no time at all – and once you leave, I'll give you a fitness regimen that you must follow. I guarantee that in six months – give or take a month – you'll trounce these friends of yours, and we'll see who's laughing then!"

Buoyed by his enthusiasm, she beamed. "Thanks, Matt," she said gratefully, "Means a lot!"

"No problem," he smiled back. "This'll be fun for me, too! In fact," he added, looking thoughtful, "I think you should come to my football training. Yes – that'll be awfully peachy! We're using the summer to train really hard!"

"You think I'll be able to keep up?" Lily asked sceptically, and he grinned again. "Let's find out, shall we?" he said energetically. Lily rolled her eyes but remained silent; he was right, it could work!

Lily exchanged pleasantries with her Aunt and Uncle once they arrived, and was greeted enthusiastically by Lucy, Matt's German Shepherd – she'd been only a puppy last year, but was now a lot bigger. "Lucy! Down, girl!" Matt exclaimed as Lucy put her paws on Lily's shoulders and began to thoroughly lick her face, much to Lily's amusement. "No, it's Ok, Matt!" she exclaimed, petting the big creature, who seemed to enjoy it. "I don't mind!"

"We're trying to train her not to lick our guests," Matt explained.

"And a good job you're doing, too," Lily replied dryly, now scratching Lucy behind her ears. Matt rolled his eyes but grinned as Lucy wagged her tail happily, basking in the attention she was receiving.

Lily spent the evening walking around with Matt and Lucy around the neighbourhood. Matt took her to meet his football coach, too, and asked if Lily could train with the team for a couple of weeks. His coach was hesitant at first, but eventually gave in, on the condition that if Lily was tired, she must sit aside immediately and not over-exert herself. Lily had readily agreed to that.

Thus began Lily's fitness regimen. For the next two weeks, she rose punctually at five o'clock in the morning, cycled to Matt's school on his old bike, and joined him and his team in training. Every morning, Matt's coach made the team run laps around the ground (the team ran twenty while Lily was tired out after three on the first day). Then followed a routine of push-ups, sit-ups, a planking exercise, and shuttle runs. Once that was done, Lily, completely exhausted, warmed the bench as she watched the boys practise their football skills. She looked on admiringly at Matt's style of play; her cousin certainly had an aptitude for goal-scoring, and with pinpoint accuracy and nimble footwork, was easily the most influential player in the team.

Lily ate the same things that Matt did, and Aunt Christina was surprised at first with the girl's determination to improve her fitness – but she rose to the occasion magnificently. She coaxed Lily to eat second helpings of healthy food, minimized biscuits and fizzy drinks (her Uncle good-naturedly complained a little, but took it in his stride), and taught Lily a few breathing exercises to improve her stamina. Matt looked on, amused, as his cousin struggled to keep pace with his team, but remained dogged and determined to succeed all the same.

At the end of two weeks, Lily could sense a drastic change in herself. She was sleeping better, eating better, and wasn't getting tired out too often. On her last day, she had run twelve laps, a huge change from her start at three, and yet managed to remain fresh for the rest of the day. She'd been subject to a lot of attention from Matt's teammates – one in particular seemed interested, but Matt's glare forced him to shrink back. Matt told her later that the boy in question had a reputation as something of a ladies' man, and that he was everybody's least favourite character – but he was a good midfielder, which merited his inclusion in the team.

"Well – I can tell that you've improved quite a bit," said Matt appraisingly to her during dinner on the last day of her stay in Birmingham. Lily grinned at him as she fed a biscuit to Lucy under the table. "You look fresher, and the last three days you didn't even complain at having been woken at four-thirty." He smirked, and Lily rolled her eyes. "I guess I just wanted to be fitter," she said evenly.

"Well – you achieved that objective," Matt conceded, somewhat proudly. "But now that you've built a routine – the challenge is to maintain it. You can start off by jogging – that's good enough to increase your stamina. For muscle, though, you need to do your push-ups – if there's a gym at your school, you can even try your hand at weights."

"Nah, we don't have a gym," said Lily, trying to visualize what a gym at Hogwarts would look like: bewitched equipment that presumably beat the user if they slacked off, sweaty Quidditch players, and things that floated around – aloud, she said wryly, "Perhaps, that's for the best."

Matt raised his eyebrows and said, "Well – in that case, you can join in when your school football team practises – like you did here. It'll be fun!" That brought a laugh out of Lily. "I'm sure it will be," she said, laughing inwardly. She smiled as Lucy licked her fingers, evidently demanding more titbits; she obliged the dog with another biscuit. "Thanks, Matt – this, this was great!" she exclaimed happily, and he grinned back at her. "No problem," he said. "Happy to help!" Lily proceeded to thank her Aunt and Uncle, too; the responded with wide grins of their own. "I think it's important that everyone watches their fitness, regardless of how old they are," said Aunt Christina. Lily nodded in understanding as her Aunt continued, "Not that you need to watch it, Lily – you're growing up to be a beautiful young woman."

Lily blushed at the compliment as Matt guffawed. "Jake thought so too," he said dryly. "That is, until I set him straight…"

"Matthew," his mother chided him, but he held up his hands. "I only glared at him and told him to get lost. That flirting Casanova ought to know better than go after _my_ cousin."

Lily smiled, rather grateful that Matt was so protective of her. "That's my boy," said her Uncle proudly.

"So, how is Petunia, Lily?" asked Aunt Christina. "I didn't have time to ask – what with you running around all time," she added, a glint of mischief in her eyes. At Petunia's mention, however, Lily's brow clouded over at once. "She's fine," she replied, struggling to keep her voice even and derision-free. However, she mustn't have done a very good job of it, for her Aunt raised her eyebrows in surprise – but tactfully avoided asking any more questions on the subject. The rest of the evening passed enjoyably.

The next morning, Lily found herself on the bus back home (Lucy had caught her t-shirt in her teeth and refused to let go until she'd assured the dog that she'd be back soon, and Matt had gently led the mournful animal away). She'd been out of touch with her friends for two weeks, and she was itching to read their letters she knew would have arrived for her. She also had two important things to accomplish: maintaining her fitness regimen, and talking to Severus about the recent happenings. She hadn't seen him since a month ago, before the disastrous QCL Final… He'd been at his friends' houses, and for the last two weeks, she herself had been away…

She was worried about Severus. She wasn't blind; she had seen him gravitate towards the other boys in his House quite a lot in recent times. Oh, he still spent time with her, and they still studied together about once a week… But she was afraid for him. She was afraid that he was going down a dark and dangerous path… She hadn't failed to recognize that his friends were creepy and sinister pureblood fanatics, which made them more than likely to join Lord Voldemort…

She steeled herself to have an important talk with Severus. _I need to warn him_ , she resolved… _And soon…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, you done with your Transfiguration essay?" Severus asked Lily as they sat on adjacent swings, at the park where they'd first met. Lily groaned. "You just _had_ to mention Transfiguration, didn't you?"

He grinned. "Well – someone had to," he said dryly. "And of course – chances of you doing that were lesser than Petunia petting your cousin's dog." She snorted with laughter; Petunia hated animals, and she was sure that Lucy's welcome would go down as well with her sister as bitter cough medicine.

"I haven't started it yet," she said fretfully. "I really should get down to it soon… Don't want McGonagall to give me detention on my first day back, do I?"

"Don't worry, you'll get there," he said, patting her shoulder gently. "You always do," he added, and a reddish tinge appeared on his cheeks. He withdrew his hand awkwardly.

"You'll help me, won't you?" she said, and he grinned. "Don't I always?" he said, and she rolled her eyes and punched him gently on the arm. "Don't get cocky," she said warningly, and he laughed.

A silence fell between them as Lily mulled over how she should broach the subject of his friends. But Severus was the one who broke the silence… "So – this Hans bloke," he said, his voice gruff, "He your boyfriend?"

Surprised by his straightforwardness, she felt a little blush spreading across her cheeks. "Er – I dunno," she said truthfully, "I mean, we did go out on a date to the QCL Final – but you know how that ended…"

"Did you kiss?"

She was startled by the abruptness of the question. She looked straight at him, but his face showed no trace of embarrassment. His eyes were raised in inquiry; he just looked politely curious. But Lily was sure that he was hiding his feelings. His attempted poker face – it was just _too_ fake… She'd known him for five years, and she could tell that he was very interested in her answer whilst trying to appear nonchalant.

She averted her eyes and felt her cheeks go red. "Er – yes, as a matter of fact, we did," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Er – no reason," he said, somewhat awkwardly. "I just wondered… If you're going out with him…"

"I dunno myself – and why's that _so_ interesting to you?" she asked him curiously. He flushed a little.

"What, I can't ask questions about my best friend's social life?" he returned, rather defensively.

"A question I might ask you," Lily retorted. "How was your stay at your – _friends'_ places?" she added, placing a disdainful emphasis on 'friends'.

The atmosphere changed perceptibly; it was as if a cloud had covered the sun. Severus stiffened. "It was – fine," he said evasively.

Figuring that now was as good a time as any, Lily said gently, "Sev – you know that I've made my feelings pretty clear about your other – er, _friends_. They're – well, let's just say they're not the nicest people in the school…"

"C'mon, Lily –" he started, but she cut across him swiftly. "Don't you 'c'mon Lily' me," she said irritably, "I've seen it with my own eyes, Sev. They've insulted my parentage more than once, and that's not all – they're bigoted, believe that they're better than everyone else –"

"How is that any different from – I dunno, Potter and Black?" Severus countered, trying to make it seem like he'd just given her an example off the top of his head, but she wasn't fooled. "Don't they strut around as they own the place?"

"Have you heard them call anyone Mudblood?" she shot back fiercely, and he quailed under her stare. "Er – no, but –"

"I rest my case," she said triumphantly. "They may be fatheaded and pretentious, but they're not bigoted, Severus. _Your_ friends, on the other hand…"

He had no answer to that, so he just stared straight ahead. "You don't understand," he said finally.

"Try me," she replied assertively.

"Er – you see, I can't oppose them openly," he said softly. "I assure you, their animosity is mainly because of the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor," he said earnestly. "And if I even show a smidgen of support for Gryffindors, I'll be ostracized from my own House. Honestly, Lily –" he turned to face her at last, and she saw a plethora of conflicting emotions on his face, "—I don't want to spend the rest of my time at Hogwarts looking over my shoulder. I like to think that _we_ are best friends – that doesn't change, Lil. But if I have to play my cards close to my chest – I must maintain a cordial, if not friendly, relationship with the people from my House."

She softened a little; she understood him better as he spoke. Much as she despised Mulciber and the others, she didn't want Severus to suffer on her account. She was happy that he could talk to her without fear of judgement or unfriendly responses. "Look, if you want to be friends with them for your own safety, I understand," she said reassuringly. "But my concern is, their ideology – the whole bloody concept of blood purity. Do what you have to do to keep a good relationship with them – but Sev, honestly, I'm worried about you."

The corners of his mouth twitched a little. "You're worried about me?" he asked her, sounding gratified.

"Well – of course!" she exclaimed matter-of-factly. "You're one of my best friends, Sev – and I really don't want you to get influenced by those people."

"Never happen," he said reassuringly, patting her hand. "I think you can count on me to be my own person, yes?"

She hesitated, but nodded all the same, and he grinned. "Then don't worry – I'll be just fine."

"If you say so," she said, still not completely reassured. She hoped that he was right, that he could hold his own. He looked at his watch and rose from the swing. "It's nearly dinnertime – Mum's expecting me," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow, same time?"

She smiled. "Sure," she replied. "See you later, Sev." He gave her an energetic wave and took off.

She sighed. Severus had told her why he was friends with the gorillas from his House, but that wasn't what was bothering her – he'd told her that he'd be fine, and she intended to trust him. No, she was thinking about something else… His interest in Hans, more like. He was good at hiding his emotions, but she'd sensed something different about how he'd questioned her. Apart from curiosity and a feigned indifference, she'd sensed an undercurrent of – jealousy.

Why would Severus be jealous of Hans?

It was simple enough, and Lily shook herself for being so stupid. His behaviour – ever since she'd known him – it was starting to make sense now. He'd always been friends with her – looking past the house rivalry. He'd stood up for her against bigots from his House – getting himself in trouble for her sake. Up until now she'd only thought of him as being a good friend… But there was something else…

Every time James Potter was mentioned, Severus's anger went up a notch. He'd not liked how Lily had been working with Potter over the past year, brewing the Widerwille Potion antidote together… Why was that? She was sure that the Slytherins had a hand in dosing the Butterbeer – so, why had he helped her? Was it because of their friendship – or was there another reason? She remembered his irrational rage when she'd told him how Potter had asked her for a date the first time. Had that just been rage – or had there been an undercurrent of jealousy there, too? She was sure that there was… Putting everything together, Lily reached her conclusion. There was no other way around it…

Severus _liked_ her.

Oh, not just as a friend, surely… She'd seen the signs, and she couldn't believe it had taken her so long to understand. She shook her head… She was sure at this point that she didn't have feelings for Severus Snape. Of course, he was her best friend – he understood her nearly as well as Liz did. And yet – that was it. He was just a friend – she didn't see him that way. If at all he told her how he felt about her – she was going to have to break his heart. She was sure he wouldn't take it well… She shuddered. That wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to having…

As she made her way home, however, Lily's original fears returned. If Severus kept going down the same path as he was now, he was going to go in over his head very soon… And she doubted if she'd be able to help him then. _Stay strong, Sev_ , she thought… _You're my best friend, and I just want you to be OK…_

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"Congratulations, I knew you'd be Prefect," Liz said, hugging Lily as they stood on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Lily drew back and gave her best friend a beaming smile. "Mum and Dad were so happy – Prefect was something they understand, and they're really proud of me for doing so well in school!" she exclaimed. She'd already said her goodbyes to her parents, who had come to drop her off at the station, and who were now on their way back home.

"Well – you deserve it," said Liz, and patted her back. "You've been the best in our year for quite some time now – so it wasn't a surprise to me at all! Besides, you have nearly a clean record – just the one detention so far, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Lily, blushing slightly as she loaded her trunk onto the train. "Come on – let's find an empty compartment quickly, I need to change into my robes and go to the Prefect compartment – we'll be assigned duties today!"

"Wow – look who's so excited!" said Liz, amused. "It's like you've been offered the role of Minister for Magic!" Lily punched Liz lightly on the arm as they found a compartment at the very end of the train. She put Cavana's cage on the top luggage shelf, and gave her pet a bunch of owl treats before quickly changing into her school robes and pinning her badge onto her chest. "Stay here, then – I'll be back by lunchtime, hopefully! If I'm not, buy me some food!" she said, and giving Liz an enthusiastic wave, she hurried out of the compartment.

As she walked up the train, she could feel it start to move. Hastening her pace, she weaved her way between several students before stepping into the Prefects' compartment. There were several familiar faces – she grinned at Severus, who smiled slowly back at her. She spotted an empty seat in the corner next to – her grin widened – Remus Lupin. "Well done, I knew you'd get it," she complimented as she sat down. The brown-haired boy smiled back at her. "That makes one of us," he said dryly, and she laughed. "C'mon! You're the most deserving in our year!"

But he shook his head. "Please – I already know why I've been given the badge," he responded, but before he could say anything more, the door opened once again, and the Head students stepped in. The Head Girl was someone she recognized – Stephanie Ellington, a Ravenclaw seventh-year; she towered over the diminutive, dark-haired Head Boy who stood next to her with a bored expression on his face.

"Good Morning, all of you," said Stephanie, nodding to them all. "I'm Stephanie Ellington – and this is Maurice Baddock. We're your head students this year." Lily stole a glance at Baddock, who was sitting silently as he surveyed the room, taking in all the new faces. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and Lily immediately averted her gaze, flushing slightly.

"Right – we will be assigning a patrol schedule to you all, sometime in the first week. You'll have to patrol from nine to eleven for about two nights a week. Then – you have to maintain order at times necessary, and you have to power to hand out detentions – but you can only take points away from students of your own Houses. This is mainly to prevent abuse of power," she added, and Lily exchanged a slight smile with Remus. "You are expected to behave responsibly at all times – being a Prefect is a big, big duty. You will report to the two of us in case of any trouble," she said, indicating herself and Baddock, who was now staring at the ceiling disinterestedly.

"Finally, as Prefects, you can use the Prefects' bathroom – and the office, too – for your own work. Both rooms have a password. And as for common room passwords – you will also be tasked with giving them to the students in your House. That will be all," she concluded. "Now, you may leave – patrol the train occasionally, and report to us if there's anything you can't handle. And for our new Prefects – good luck!"

Everyone rose, and began to file out of the compartment one by one. Lily and Remus exited the compartment together, only to find Severus waiting outside. "Ready to put everyone in their place?" he said, grinning. She rolled her eyes and said dryly, "Wow, look at you – the picture of responsibility!" He laughed. Then his grin faded as he spotted Remus. "Lupin," he said coolly. "Severus," said Remus, his tone mild. Snape raised his eyebrows but made no comment. "Well – see you later, Lily," he said tentatively, and she waved at him as he began to walk away.

"Er – shall we?" asked Remus, and she jumped slightly. "Yes," she replied, and they began to walk, too. "D'you want to patrol once before we go back to our compartments? Anyway, Liz is at the far end of the train," she said to him, and he smiled. "I was expecting that – you can't wait to get started, can you?"

"Am I that obvious?" she said, smiling slightly, and he laughed. "Nah – only to people who know you well," he replied.

"Well, come on, then," she said, and led the way along the train. They walked for what felt like an hour, peeking into compartments every now and then, but finding no signs of trouble. Lily averted her eyes quickly from a compartment that contained Marlene and Black kissing, not wanting to have that image in her head. Soon enough, they were at the end of the train, right near the compartment where she'd left Liz. As she entered, however, it was packed with more people – Mary, Peter – and to her chagrin, James Potter. Apparently, they were right in the middle of a game of Exploding Snap.

"All right, Evans, Remus?" Potter grinned as soon as he spotted them. "Yep," said Remus. "We even patrolled the train once – because _someone_ is such a stickler for the rules," he added, looking at her as he spoke.

"Look who's talking," said Potter, "C'mon, mate – you're a Goody Two-Shoes yourself!"

"Am not," said Remus, looking a little affronted.

"Yeah, you are," said Peter, laughing a little. Liz and Mary joined in.

Remus snorted. "Aren't you forgetting how many pranks we've pulled – and how many I've been the brains behind?" he said. "I'm not admitting to anything," he added quickly with a sideways glance at Lily. Laughing, she sat down and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to report you for something you may have done – in the past. D'you have any food?" she added to Liz and Mary, who handed her a couple of Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes at once. "Enjoy," said Liz.

Lily ate the Cauldron Cake hungrily; it was delicious. She passed over the Chocolate Frogs to Remus, who took them gratefully – she remembered Matt's words, she was to avoid sweets. As she ate, she noticed a red-and-gold badge on Potter's chest. Wrinkling her forehead, she addressed him, "Don't tell me – you're Quidditch Captain?"

Potter grinned at her. "I am," he said proudly, "As the best player in the team, it was only a matter of time!"

"And here I was thinking responsibility breeds humility," Lily replied dryly. Liz laughed and said, "She's right, James – who knows, maybe with Fab and Gid gone, the new Beaters will be better than you!"

Potter snorted. "Well – if we win with them, I don't care who the best player is," he said thoughtfully, "But it would be nice if I were…" His gaze turned to Lily again. "So, Evans – now that we're both office-bearers, how about we celebrate it with a date to Hogsmeade?"

"Potter," she said irritably, "When are you going to get this into your thick head? I am _not_ going out with you – and besides, I have a boyfriend now!" She blushed as she spoke, and Liz cleared her throat loudly and teasingly. Potter shrank back a little. "So – it's official, is it?" he asked, with a touch of asperity.

"It is," said Lily, lying promptly. Of course, she and Hans hadn't corresponded too much since the QCL Final, but Potter didn't need to know that, did he?

"Hard luck, mate," said Peter, patting Potter's arm sympathetically. Then, as if realizing he'd spoken out loud in front of Lily, he flushed and went silent.

"Very well," said Potter, "But mark my words, Evans – when things go south between you and the German, I'll be there!" He held her gaze confidently, with a cocky smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you for your vote of confidence – but if it doesn't work out between me and Hans – I'd literally go out with any other bloke in the school before I go out with you!"

"Even Mulciber?" he challenged.

"I said bloke – baboons don't count," she retorted, reducing everyone in the compartment to raucous laughter; even Potter guffawed. An unwilling smile came to her face.

The rest of the journey passed by smoothly; they discussed the upcoming OWLs, and Lily felt nervous; from what was being said, getting good grades on the OWLs was of utmost importance. They even discussed the changes in the Ministry – Potter and Liz were affronted about the new law, while Peter tentatively suggested that they needed to do whatever they could to survive the war, earning himself dirty looks from Liz and Potter. As the afternoon wore on, Mary's younger sister dropped by for some time and played a few games of Exploding Snap with them before taking her leave. Darkness fell as they alighted from the train at Hogsmeade station, carrying their owls and pets as they boarded a horseless carriage. Lily hadn't had a chance to say hi to Marlene yet, and Mary looked rather forlorn as the carriage slowly trundled towards Hogwarts. Lily understood; Marlene and Mary were best friends, and Mary was clearly a little hurt with Marlene's absence.

They arrived into the Great Hall, and the Head Girl waved to Lily and Remus as soon as they entered. "Hang on – your password… It's 'Russet'," she said when they were standing next to her. "The Head students decide the password for the first week – then the rest are decided by the seventh-year Prefects," she added, answering their unanswered question. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, with Lily taking a seat next to Liz, who seemed to be engaged in a Quidditch discussion with Potter and Mary. Smiling resignedly, Lily glanced at the door, waiting for the first-years to arrive.

"Had a good summer?" came a voice, and Lily looked ahead for its source; it was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the Gryffindor ghost, who was smiling at her. She smiled back. "Peachy," she said, using one of Matt's favourite phrases; it would've taken too long to describe her summer. "And you, Sir Nicholas?"

The ghost grimaced. "Not the best of summers, my dear girl – the Headless Hunt refuses to accept me into their ranks…" Lily grinned; Sir Nicholas's head was still attached to his body by the tiniest amount of skin, but it was apparently enough for him to not be called headless – he'd had to settle for Nearly Headless Nick instead.

"What if we try beheading you with a ghost-sword, could that work?" said another voice, as Marlene McKinnon threw herself into the seat next to Lily, who grinned. "Hey, Marlene," she greeted, "Remember us, finally?"

Marlene blushed and said, "Sorry – I just kind of got caught up – and lost track of time." Her blush deepened as Sirius Black walked up and took a seat next to Sir Nicholas, and grinned at Marlene. Lily couldn't help but notice that Black's face had pinkish patches on them – patches that was the exact shade of Marlene's lipstick. She quickly looked away, as Mary said, "Some friend you are, Marlene – you get a boyfriend, you ignore your friends?"

"You can hardly blame her if the said boyfriend is me," said Black, puffing out his chest. Lily snorted as Mary glared daggers at him. Sir Nicholas chortled, and Marlene looked a little abashed. "I'm sorry, Mary," she said earnestly, "Sirius and I had decided to ride the train together! Don't worry, let's have some fun tomorrow, OK?"

Mary looked sceptical but nodded all the same. Lily noticed that Liz had gone rigid, while Potter said loudly, "Mate! It's good to finally see you – but what've you done to your face? Is that a new look – the Lipstick Look or something?" He guffawed, and Peter joined in. Lily contented herself by exchanging an amused glance with Remus. But before Black could respond, Professor McGonagall arrived with the first-years, and all chatter died down.

The Sorting Hat, which rested on the stool, perked up, and burst into song – Lily tried to follow, and soon realized that the Hat was actually giving them advice. It was telling them the importance of working together, staying united, and battling against the evil outside the castle. A smattering of applause followed the Hat's song.

"When I call your name, walk forward and place the hat on your head," instructed Professor McGonagall. "Amberson, Kelly!"

A tiny girl with raven hair walked forward nervously and put the hat on her head. "Slytherin!" the Hat shouted, and she walked off towards the cheering Slytherin table. Lily wondered if the girl was aware of Slytherin's dark reputation… _Perhaps she'll turn out like Andromeda or Severus_ , she thought hopefully. _Or even Ashley Bond…_

The Sorting continued, and several new students joined their table. Finally, with "Yardly, Charlotte!" ("Hufflepuff!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took the Hat and stool away.

Lily glanced over at the staff table. With a jolt, she realized that Professor Malfoy was absent… And there was a new addition: a muscular, balding man with a thick, red beard. Dumbledore stood up – and inexplicably, as she saw the man's pearly-white beard glow in the light of the thousand floating candles, she felt a sense of comfort. Whatever was happening in the outside world – so long as Dumbledore was on their side, they were fine…

"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said, and as usual, food appeared magically on the plates in front of them. "That song, Lily – did you listen?" asked Liz, and Lily nodded. "It was giving us a warning," she said as she loaded pasta on her plate; it was dipped in red sauce, the kind she liked. "Yup," said Liz pensively, "I wonder if it's done that before?"

"Oh, yes," said Sir Nicholas, watching them mournfully as they ate. "It does that when it perceives an external threat to the school. And given the circumstances…"

Lily nodded; undoubtedly, if the Hat was kept in Dumbledore's office for most part, it would certainly pick up on news from the outside. "It must have a pretty boring life, wouldn't it?" she asked Liz, but her friend was stabbing her roasted potatoes with unnecessary viciousness, and appeared not to hear her. With a sinking feeling, she realized that Liz's foul mood was probably due to Black's 'Lipstick Look'… Shaking her head, she went back to her food. She hoped that Liz would keep herself in check…

Once the various puddings vanished, Lily was feeling comfortably sleepy, but she forced herself to pay attention to the Headmaster; after all, her duties would commence shortly, and she didn't want to slack off on her first day. Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Now that we're all well-fed – please welcome Professor Claudius Sherwood, who will be taking up the Defence Against the Dark Arts position." Professor Sherwood raised his hand as the students applauded, but Lily felt sad as she clapped; she had just started to somewhat like Professor Malfoy. Why had she gone?

Dumbledore made a few routine announcements before saying, "That will be all… Now, it's bedtime, and an entire year of magical education awaits you. Chop chop!"

Lily stood up quickly. "First-years, come with me," she called commandingly down the table, and a group of small boys and girls stood up and walked up to her shyly. Remus joined her, smiling. "You're a natural at this, aren't you?" he asked her, and she grinned back. "I just like following the rules – and making sure that others do, too," she replied before turning to the first-years.

"Right – c'mon, you lot – this way," she said, and the first-years formed a line and began to follow. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she spoke as they walked. "I'm Lily – and this is Remus. The castle is enormous – but if you lot think you're going to get lost, don't worry; you'll find your way around in no time. You can even ask one of the ghosts – they don't bite," she added, smiling slightly at the scared face of the girl next to her. "Just stay clear of Peeves, though – he's the resident poltergeist." She continued in this vein, giving tips to the first-years as they arrived at the Gryffindor common room. "Password?" asked the Fat Lady, and Lily replied with, "Russet." The portrait swung open, and Lily let the first-years climb through the portrait hole into the common room. She directed them to their dormitories, and stood by until they bade her good night and walked up the spiral staircase.

"Nicely done," complimented Remus. "I'm looking forward to not having to do any work," he added dryly, and she laughed. "You wish," she said, punching him lightly on the arm. "Well – good night," she said, and he waved at her as she began to climb the spiral staircase herself. It was OWL year – she was already feeling the pressure a bit, and she resolved to work hard right from day one. _I'll ace them_ , she thought confidently. _I'll ace them all…_

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	44. Chapter 43

Thanks for the reviews, Anna and CB. Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-three. This took a while, but I hope to compensate with a longish chapter. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Three**

"' **Course you can join us!"**

"Good morning," said Lily to Mary brightly as she and Liz took seats at the Gryffindor table. Mary looked up and let out a sigh. "Aren't you a bit too chipper on the first day back?" she asked. Liz smirked and said, "Yeah, well – since when has that been a surprise?"

Lily punched her best friend lightly on the arm as she loaded bacon and eggs onto her plate. "I dunno – I guess I'm just excited, this being OWL year and all," she said, and received dark looks from both Liz and Mary. "Blimey, Lil – only _you_ could be as excited about OWLs as James gets with Quidditch," said Liz, and Lily wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, did you have to mention Potter this early in the day?"

Liz grinned. "I didn't _have_ to," she said mischievously, "But it's amusing to wind you up…" She ducked to avoid the bread crumb Lily threw at her, laughing.

Marlene arrived and slid into the seat next to Mary. "'Morning, all," she said, sounding as bright as Lily had. "Let me guess – _your_ perkiness has nothing to do with OWL year, does it?" Mary asked her, and Marlene's smile faded. "Oh, c'mon – it's too early to be talking about OWLs!" she exclaimed, frowning. Mary turned to Lily triumphantly. "This is how one reacts to the OWL year," she said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

Professor McGonagall handed them all their timetables, and Lily surveyed her Monday – History of Magic, Potions, Divination and Defence Against the Dark Arts… It looked like it was going to be a busy day. Beside her, Liz's voice was dismayed as she said, "History, Potions, Runes and DADA – dammit, that's too many classes!"

"What else did you expect, Hunt?" came a voice, and Sirius Black took a seat next to Marlene and kissed her gently on the lips. "'Morning," he whispered, and Lily wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, d'you two have to do that here?"

"We don't _have_ to," said Black, surfacing after a full ten seconds and grinning at her without a trace of shame. "It's a question of _wanting_ things, Evans –"

"Ew, spare me," said Lily, raising her palms. She noticed that Liz's gaze had become stonier; abandoning her coffee, she grabbed her best friend's arm and said, "C'mon, let's go – we'll be late, won't we?" Ignoring the others' confused looks, the two of them left the Great Hall and began to walk towards the History of Magic classroom.

"You OK?" Lily asked Liz gently, and her best friend nodded. "Yes – I'm fine," she replied, without looking at Lily, who sighed. Liz prided herself on being able to hide her emotions adeptly, but her obvious annoyance at Marlene and Black's displays of affection was a clear indicator that she wasn't over her 'crush' on Black.

"Look," said Lily delicately, "Marlene's our friend, Liz. It's not her fault that Black likes her –"

"She doesn't have to be so – I dunno, _self-satisfied_ about it, like she's conquered the world or something!" Liz burst out irritably. "Didn't you see her face?"

Lily frowned; she hadn't paid much attention to Marlene's various expressions, but she was sure that Liz would be determined to see what she wanted to see. She could certainly be stubborn at times… Sighing, she said, "Nah – but if you like, I'll pay more attention to her face from now on."

Mollified, Liz nodded. Then a gleam came to her eyes. "Oh, I have an idea – I'm going to show her who's the boss! Oh, yes!" She rubbed her hands gleefully, and Lily gave her a worried glance. "What d'you mean?" she asked, but Liz said, "Wait and watch, Lil – no fun if I tell you now, is there?"

They had reached Binns's classroom by then, so Lily refrained from asking any further questions. She settled into the middle row with Liz as the rest of the class filed in, with Potter winking at her once before taking a seat at the end of the classroom. Shaking her head, she decided to concentrate on their ghost Professor, who glided into the classroom to begin his class. As usual, his glide was the most exciting thing to happen over the next hour as he began to talk about vampires, and how the Statue of Secrecy had been breached in 1749. Lily diligently wrote everything down as Binns droned on about the two young vampires from Sicily who kept attacking unsuspecting tourists at the beach caves, unable to satisfy their thirst for human blood – until the Italian Ministry of Magic showed up and burnt them to a cinder. Next to her, Liz alternated between staring outside the window and glaring at Marlene's back with narrowed eyes, though she was still doing an admirable job of hiding her irritation from everyone else as Black sat with his arm across Marlene's shoulders. Lily was surprised – Liz usually took a fair amount of notes during History of Magic – but she was obviously too distracted to care today.

"What would happen –" she said as she walked out of the class with Liz, "—if I refused to share my notes with you? You need to let this go!"

"Oh, yeah?" countered her best friend. "What if some pretty girl makes a pass at Hans, wouldn't that bother you?"

"It would," Lily agreed, "But _you_ are not going out with Black!"

"So you _are_ going out with Hans," said Liz mischievously, and Lily blushed – she had inadvertently set herself up. She rolled her eyes and said, "This isn't about me and Hans – it's about you and Black! Liz, it isn't Marlene's fault that Black likes her – just how many times do I have to tell you?"

"Oh, open your ears!" exclaimed Liz. "I know it isn't her fault – but she doesn't have to be so bleeding smug about it!"

"It's in your head!"

"No, it isn't! See for yourself!"

"I did, there's nothing unusual!"

"You didn't observe properly!"

"Er – excuse me," came a tentative voice, and Lily and Liz paused their argument and turned to a little second-year Ravenclaw who instinctively took a step backwards.

"Yes?" Lily asked her evenly.

"Er – are you Lily Evans?" the girl asked her, a little timidly.

"Last I checked, certainly," said Lily kindly, attempting to put the girl at ease. The girl immediately drew an envelope with a violet ribbon from her pocket, and handed it over to Lily. "I'm supposed to give you this," she said unnecessarily.

"Right, well, thanks," said Lily, and the girl nodded and scampered away.

"Oooh, a letter from a secret admirer?" Liz asked her, her eyebrows dancing suggestively. Lily snorted. "What rubbish! By the time I had a secret admirer, you'd have ten!" she said as she stuffed the envelope into her own pocket. It was true, she supposed. Liz was taller than her, and her shoulder-length blonde hair was always elegant and perfect. Her sparkling, sea-green eyes along with her slim frame (which was in its early stages of proper athleticism) made her look – there was no other word for it – absolutely gorgeous. Add to that her reassuring calmness and her snarky, outgoing personality, and one would be surprised that Liz hadn't more boyfriends…

"Haha – what a load of tosh!" Liz laughed. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? Any bloke would swoon over your hair, your eyes, your br –"

"Liz!" Lily exclaimed, mortified, and Liz chuckled wickedly. "It's true – puberty got it right with you!" she added as they walked into the Potions classroom. Shaking her head, she settled down into a seat next to Severus, and began to unpack as Liz went off to join her usual partner, Ashley Bond.

"Hey," he greeted, and she smiled in response as she set up her cauldron. Severus immediately produced a violet-ribbon envelope identical to hers. "You get one of these?" he asked, and she nodded, nonplussed; she hadn't opened it yet – but why would she and Severus receive identical letters? What did they have in common? It couldn't be anything House-related… Unless –

"Is it from Professor Slughorn?" she asked him, and he raised his eyebrows. "How many other H. E. F. Slughorns do we know?" he asked dryly.

"Ha ha," she returned in a bored voice, "I haven't even opened my envelope!"

"Then how did you know it was from Slughorn?" he asked her curiously. At that, Lily stood a little taller. "I have a Sherlockian brain," she said proudly.

"What's that – does it mean tiny?" Severus asked, a little smile on his face, and Lily laughed along with him. This was the Severus she liked – the bright, clever, hardworking boy, a prodigy when it came to Potions… He was quiet and introverted, only volunteering information and answering questions in Potions class (then again, she didn't have any other classes in common with him apart from Care of Magical Creatures, and he certainly didn't volunteer information there). She liked how comfortable he was with her… How he could make jokes with her, even tease her occasionally… How he could be himself with her.

But his inclination towards Dark Magic was something she couldn't ignore anymore. He seemed fascinated with Hexes and Curses, and his other Slytherin friends were the same… They were gits, all of them, and she was more and more afraid that he'd be influenced by them sooner or later. She wanted him on her side when she eventually joined the war – her resolve had been strengthened by the QCL Final attack – but if he continued to focus on the Dark Arts like he was now, she didn't see any other outcome than them fighting against each other.

She shook herself from these depressing thoughts as Slughorn walked into the room and smiled genially at them all. She liked him – the pot-bellied man with a walrus moustache was always nice to her and Severus, though she knew that he wasn't as partial to the rest of the class. "All right, class – welcome back!" Slughorn began. "It's OWL year – and I expect everybody to do well, nothing less than an 'Acceptable'. That includes you all," he added, his gaze lingering upon Avery – and Peter, who gulped.

"So – let's begin," said Slughorn briskly. "The Draught of Peace – a favourite amongst OWL examiners." He tapped the blackboard with his wand, and writing suddenly appeared on it – instructions for the potion. "It calms anxiety and agitation. But make it too strong – and the drinker will be put in a deep sleep – sometimes even irreversible." Lily exchanged an anxious glance with Severus; the Draught of Peace sounded like the last potion in the world to consume excessively.

"Go on, then," said Slughorn. "You have ninety minutes…"

There was a sudden movement as everyone rushed to the store cupboard. Lily waited, going over the instructions carefully before simply Summoning what she wanted, earning herself an approving chuckle from Slughorn in the process. "Always the Charmer, aren't you?" he said, and Lily smiled back. "In more ways than one, Professor," she returned, and Slughorn's eyes twinkled. "Charmers like you ought to have been in my House," he said, and Lily snorted – she couldn't help herself. "You have enough of those, Professor," she said with a cheeky smile with a glance at Mulciber, who was engaged in a tug-of-war for a moonstone with Black. Slughorn shook his head resignedly and went over to break up the fight.

It was a tricky, fiddly sort of Potion – but Lily had no issue with the instructions. She'd read them properly once before, and had a clear idea of what was expected – so it came as a surprise to her that Severus, who had started after she had, had progressed further than her; a light silver vapour was rising from his cauldron. "How'd you get so far?" she asked him curiously; she was yet to add the final two ingredients – little pieces of spotted toadstools and yellow grass. He smirked.

"I stirred the Potion twenty-four times clockwise –"

"It's twenty-three on the board!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but I added one more – and it gave off a light reddish vapour, like yours is right now – three minutes faster than the ten minutes, as that board indicates. Just one more stir and a three-minute decrease with time!"

"Wow!" she exclaimed, fascinated. "Well done!"

"It was nothing – the Potion hadn't been optimized, that's all," he said modestly, lowering his eyes – but something in his voice gave him away. "You didn't add a stir deliberately, did you?" she asked shrewdly. At that, he looked up and frowned.

"Fine – I miscounted," he said mournfully, and Lily laughed. "But I still stand by what I said – the Potion hasn't been optimized!"

"That's fair," said Lily thoughtfully, and added her final ingredients. As always for her and Severus, their individual potions were the best – a fact which earned them twenty points each for their respective Houses.

"See you in class, Professor," she called, waving to Slughorn as she exited the dungeon classroom with Liz in tow, rubbing her left hand – apparently, she'd got some potion on it, and it was now numb. Slughorn had told her not to worry; rubbing it would make sure that the effects went away within half an hour.

"Outside of it wouldn't be so bad, too, Lily," said Slughorn, chuckling. She was confused, but he just gave her a wave and a cryptic sort of wink. "Wonder what he meant?" she said aloud, and Liz shrugged. "I dunno."

After lunch, they had Divination, where they began to study Dream Interpretation through a new textbook called The Dream Oracle. Lily listened to Professor Presprechen with a sinking heart as the teacher asked them to maintain a dream diary for the rest of the year, with dream interpretations for the entire week's dreams being due every Monday. She was already starting to feel the pressure of OWL year, to say nothing of the fact that they'd been reminded of it by Slughorn too… She supposed that Binns couldn't care less, really.

"Can you believe the amount of work we have?" Liz said as they began to walk to their next lesson, Defence Against the Dark Arts with the new professor. "Seriously, if the new bloke gives us any more work, I'm just going to skive off tomorrow's lessons!"

"You can't do that!" replied Lily, scandalized. "We have Care of Magical Creatures – and Transfiguration – and Arithmancy, too!"

"Great, I don't need to memorize my timetable!" Liz responded with a slight smile, and earned herself a little punch from Lily. "Shut up," said Lily, "If you don't attend classes, you're going to fail your OWLs – we need at least 66 percent to pass, right?"

"What?" asked Liz blankly. "There's no percentages – just grades!"

"Oh," said Lily, blushing slightly. "What're the grades, then?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "First off, there's 'O' – 'Outstanding', see? Then there's 'E' –"

"For 'Excellent'?" interrupted Lily, but Liz shook her head. "Nah, 'E' is for 'Exceeds Expectations'," she replied.

"Whose expectations do we exceed?" asked Lily, nonplussed. "Do the teachers grade the OWLs – or does someone from the Ministry come to examine us? In that case, if they don't know us, how do we know their expectations from us and how do we exceed them?"

"For Heaven's sake, Lily," said Liz, "You're overanalysing this! It's just semantics – so, just… OK?" She held up her hands, and Lily gave her a slight smile. "Fine, fine – continue," she said quickly.

"After 'E' there's 'A' – for 'Acceptable'. That's the last pass grade," said Liz, and Lily nodded. "After that, there's 'P' for 'Poor', 'D' for 'Dreadful' and 'T' for 'Troll'."

Lily laughed. "Seriously, 'Troll'?" she asked, amused, and Liz nodded. "Trolls are amongst the most dim-witted Magical Creatures," she said, "So it's only logical to use that grade for dunderheads…" Lily chuckled, but made a mental note to work a lot harder and aim to get all O's in her OWLs. Lily Evans wasn't going to settle for anything less than the best.

They trooped into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Somewhat surprisingly, Marlene and Mary were sitting together, and Lily had a nagging suspicion that it had been at Mary's behest. Shaking her head, she sat down behind Mark and Jane (Liz refused to be anywhere around Marlene or Black, which really left them no choice. Lily exchanged hellos with the pair of them; they usually kept to themselves, and didn't really mix too much with her and her friends. Lily wondered whether they were going out now – last she'd heard, Mark had asked out Jane, who apparently didn't reciprocate his feelings – then, but that was almost a year ago. As she removed her textbook, however, she heard Mark whisper, "You look beautiful today." She looked up just in time to see Jane blush profusely, before turning away. _Well – that answers_ that _question_ , thought Lily, smirking.

The door opened and their red-bearded teacher came into the classroom. He was balding, and his face was scarred; he looked closer to sixty than fifty, but his tall, muscular frame indicated an enormous level of fitness and physical strength. He immediately walked up to the blackboard, and faced them all. "Good afternoon," he said, his voice a deep rumble. "My name's Professor Sherwood – Claudius Sherwood. I worked as an Auror – but I'm here as a favour to Dumbledore."

"Professor Redbeard, more like," whispered Liz from next to her. She chortled gently.

"I'm here to teach y'all some strong spells – it's my understanding that your last teacher – Professor Malfoy – taught y'all Elemental Magic, didn't she?"

A few people murmured 'yes' in response, and Professor Sherwood nodded. "That's good – we can proceed from there. She introduced the Unforgiveable Curses, didn't she? Well, this year, I'm going to teach y'all some duelling techniques – some Curses and Hexes, and counter-curses, too… And finally, after Easter, we're going to be studying the Patronus Charm. I believe you can already perform it at a very basic level, taught by – Emily, wasn't it?"

There were several nods, and Lily's eyes narrowed as she thought about her once-favourite DADA teacher. She could never forgive Professor Walcott's betrayal.

"Unfortunate, what happened to her – I mentored her while she was in Auror training. She was one of our very, very best – could do things with a wand that wizards twice her age struggle with," said Professor Sherwood solemnly. "Anyway – we'll be learning all of this. Plus, this is your OWL ear – so I expect everyone to work twice as hard."

Lily groaned inwardly. She wished the teachers would stop reminding them about their OWLs. Liz, however, looked unruffled. "I like his beard," she whispered, "Perhaps we could call him Redbeard." At that, Lily stifled a fit of giggles. "Concentrate," she hissed at her best friend, but Liz simply smirked. Lily felt relieved; after her bad temper that morning, Liz was back to being her usual fun self.

"The thing about the elements – they each have their own speciality. For instance – Earth, it has inertia. Hard to get past… A powerful defence, if you will. And Air, it has speed. Air Pulses or Waves are generally the quickest to reach one's opponent," said Professor Sherwood. "Now – who can tell me the speciality of – hmm, Fire?"

Lily raised her hand at once, and Professor Sherwood pointed to her. "Yes?"

"It can cause a lot of damage, Professor," said Lily; she remembered reading about it last year for a homework assignment. Professor Sherwood nodded solemnly once again. "That is correct – five points to Gryffindor. Fire – it's the best, the most powerful element if you want to cause damage. But defensively, it isn't that great – which symbolizes Fire well, doesn't it? A powerful destructive force that is, at the same time, very fragile…"

Lily listened with rapt attention. Professor Malfoy had told her at the end of last year that fire was her element… What had she meant? True, she'd found it easy to master the Fire Wave – and based on instinct, she'd cast the Fire Pulse when she'd battled Mulciber last year in Hogsmeade… But that didn't mean fire was her element – did it?

"Light – to disregard this element would be a mistake," Professor Sherwood was saying. "Just as light in the darkness can provide hope and guidance to the lost individual, a lack of it can cripple you severely. If you master the Light Wave – or the darkness wave, as I should be referring to it – you and you alone will be able to see in the darkness if you cast the Wave."

Lily exchanged a glance with Liz, who shrugged. Neither of them had cast the Light Wave yet.

"And as for Water – its speciality is versatility. That's right – Water can be as potent as a tidal wave, as frigid as ice, or as calm and still as the Pacific Ocean, able to endure several changes and adverse conditions without getting affected. Its balance and versatility allows its use in whatever way the caster deems appropriate – but to master it, that's where the challenge lies. The Water Wave is the hardest to learn – and even if you can cast it well, it's difficult to keep it up for too long."

He waved his wand, and his table moved into a corner. He asked them all to stand, and moved their desks and bags next to the wall, too, leaving empty space in the middle of the room. "Now – one by one, y'all are going to cast the Elemental Wave of your choice. Let's begin – with you, Mr Lupin.

Remus nodded and moved forward. " _Terra Motus!_ " he yelled, and suddenly, the floor shook; Lily could hear a few ink bottles smashing as quite a few people lost their footing. After about half a minute, the shaking stopped, and Remus stood with his wand raised, a slight grin on his face. "Well done, Mr Lupin," said Professor Sherwood, and with another wave of his wand, repaired the damage to everyone's stuff, as well as a painting that had fallen to the floor. He seemed to be checking how long they could cast the spell, and how much control they had over it. Marlene went next, and cast the Earth Wave too. Mary went with Light, as did Mark and Jane; the darkness consumed them all until the caster lifted the spell. With a pang, Lily realized when she'd seen it for the first time… Professor Walcott had cast it when she'd demonstrated the effects of Dementors…

Next, it was Liz's turn, and her best friend held her Water torrent for more than a minute, earning herself ten points for Gryffindor. Potter followed up with his Air tempest, the same spell he'd used at that battle during the QCL final. He held it for a full two minutes, earning Gryffindor twenty points. Black chose to cast the Fire Wave – and to her chagrin, he too could keep it up for more than a minute. She had to do better than that, at least.

Peter's Water torrent lasted barely ten seconds, and it was Lily's turn at last. Concentrating with all her might, she shouted, " _Flammunda!_ " The familiar Fire Wave erupted from her wand, and formed a sheet in front of her – a defensive form. Next, she turned it into a fireball and shot it forward with great speed, before forcing it to halt inches from the wall; she turned it into a circle next, and spun her wand, causing the circle to rotate rapidly and fly around the room, disk-like, before coming to a stop in front of her once again. That was too much effort for her, though, and she felt her strength slip away as the circular wave dissipated into nothingness. Exhausted and panting, she wiped her brow and glanced at the Professor, who was staring at her with a mixture of astonishment and admiration.

"Well," he said at last, "That was quite something, Miss Evans. Take thirty points to Gryffindor! Well done, girl – you have good control over this spell." Lily blushed and murmured her thanks before returning to her seat, pleased with herself. "Nice one," said Liz appreciatively. "Way to impress Redbeard, Lil!"

She laughed at the nickname. "I still wish it would've lasted longer than a minute," she responded, just as Professor Sherwood announced, "Well done, everyone – homework, practice the Elemental Waves, and read the first chapter on Curses. We will continue this in the next class… Dismissed."

Chattering tiredly, they all rose and began to file out of the classroom. It had been an exhausting first day back. She began to walk with Liz, just as a voice called, "Oi, Hunt!" They turned to find James Potter hurrying towards them. "Listen – I'm scheduling tryouts on Saturday morning, and I want the entire team to be there – we need both Beaters, and a Chaser now that Blythe's gone – to see how the new people fit in. Make sure you're free then, yeah?"

"Yes, I'll be there," said Liz. "And James – I'm going to try out for Chaser this time, so make sure you advertise Seeker tryouts, too!"

"What? Why?" asked Potter, nonplussed. Lily was surprised, too – considering how well Liz had performed as Seeker last year, why did she want to try out for Chaser all of a sudden?

"I like goal-scoring more than catching the Snitch," said Liz promptly. "And now that there's a spot available – I'd like to see how I do, so there's no harm, is there?"

"I suppose not," responded Potter, though he still looked confused. "Anyway – see you later! And nice spell, Evans," he added, smirking at her, "I suppose I'm growing on you – never thought I'd see the day you show off!"

"I wasn't showing off!" said Lily, affronted, but Potter just laughed. "Sure you weren't," he said indulgently. He proceeded to give her a salute and a wave before hurrying off to catch up with his friends. Beside her, Liz was shaking with suppressed laughter.

"So – Chaser? Why?" Lily asked Liz in a tone that made it clear she didn't want to discuss Potter's latest jibe. She had a feeling that there was something Liz wasn't telling her; her reason for trying out for Chaser had been too straightforward, too quick – as if it had been rehearsed, almost.

Liz shrugged; she wasn't laughing anymore. "I dunno – I've already won the Cup as Seeker, so it'll be a good personal challenge for me, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose," said Lily, still a bit unconvinced.

"So, who's the secret admirer?" Liz asked her, and Lily immediately remembered the violet-ribbon envelope. "Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed, and retrieved it from her bag. She carefully opened the envelope and began to read the note, with Liz peering over her shoulder:

 _Lily,_

 _I think you'd enjoy it if you were to join me at my office for a little gathering that I am putting together for a few students this Friday evening at seven o'clock. Expecting to see you there._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Professor H. E. F. Slughorn_

"What does Slughorn want with you?" asked Liz curiously.

"I dunno," Lily answered, nonplussed. "I guess I'll find out…"

"No need," said Liz, and to Lily's surprise, pulled out an identical envelope. "I know what it's about – I got one too!"

"You kept that quiet!" said Lily, stung. Liz grinned. "I know – I just wanted to see your reaction – it's priceless!" she said with amusement.

"So – what is it about?" she asked Liz curiously.

"Er – you see, Slughorn invites people who are either well-connected or related to famous people, to these parties," explained Liz. "I suppose he invited me because of Mum…"

"But I'm neither!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah – he probably invites students who do well in his class, too," said Liz decisively. "I know – that's what Mum told me, at least. She couldn't believe the prats who were members of his 'Slug Club' –"

Lily snorted. "Slug Club?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep," replied Liz, "I know – a little stupid, isn't it?"

"A little?"

"I was being nice," said Liz mischievously. "So – are you going to go?"

"Probably," said Lily thoughtfully. "Wouldn't hurt, would it? What about you – you coming?"

"Hmm, why not?" said Liz. "In the meantime, answer me this: d'you think Redbeard will get lice in that ample beard of his?"

Lily giggled uncontrollably as they walked back to the common room, but her mind was on Professor Slughorn's invitation. What would that be about?

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Lily and Liz entered Slughorn's office on Friday evening after what had been an exhausting week. They'd started with Vanishing Spells in Transfiguration, and she'd been unable to Vanish her snail by the end of the lesson – in fact, only Potter and Black had managed to succeed, while Liz's snail looked like it was under a Disillusionment Charm. With a sinking heart, Lily had noted that she would have to do better than that if she wanted to keep Transfiguration for the NEWTs; she hadn't really thought about the career path she wanted to pursue, but she knew that studying Transfiguration further would be vital.

In Herbology, they had started with Fanged Geraniums, a carnivorous plant with sharp fangs. In Charms, Professor Flitwick had begun to teach them Growth and Shrinking Charms, and she had no problem with the theory – but his reminder about the OWLs was a damper on an enjoyable lesson. Professor Kettleburn was teaching them Knarls (hedgehog-like creatures who were naturally suspicious of any attempt to poison them); his announcement that he would be teaching them unicorns later in the year led to some general excitement, and to Lily's relief, he didn't say anything about OWL year, causing her to win a Galleon off Liz (who had bet otherwise).

"Wow – it looks like it's been magically expanded, doesn't it?" asked Liz, taking in their surroundings. Lily nodded. "Hey, look – there's the snack table," said Liz, and made a beeline towards it, with an amused Lily in tow. "We just ate dinner!" she exclaimed as Liz loaded a Cauldron Cake on her plate. Liz grinned and said, "I'm a growing girl – and if I'm to play Quidditch, I need my food." Lily rolled her eyes and nodded patronizingly at Liz, who gave her a little punch on the arm.

"Lily, my dear – you're here!" Slughorn boomed as he appeared next to them. "And Miss Huntington – good to see you, too! I hope your mother's well?"

"Yes, thank you, Professor," said Liz politely. "She's a consultant at the Department of Magical Games and Sports now."

"Of course – of course," said Slughorn. "She was a talented potioneer – I offered to put her in touch with the Magical Research and Development Office – but she was set on a career in Quidditch, and look how well that turned out! And – you don't just _look_ like her, you've inherited her talent, too! My dear – you nearly gave me a heart attack with that catch of yours in last year's final!"

"I can assure you that wasn't my intention, Professor," Liz replied with amusement, and Lily laughed. Slughorn immediately turned to her and said, "Well, Lily – make yourself at home. I would really like to get to know you better, so – why don't you get some food?"

"Er – yes, Professor," said Lily politely, and took a couple of pastries on her plate and followed Slughorn towards the centre of the office, where several comfortable-looking armchairs with emerald-green cushions were arranged in a circle. She took a seat next to Liz, and looked around; she recognized a few faces in their year, but the rest were unfamiliar… She wondered where Severus was. Hadn't he received an invitation? Where was he?

"Welcome, everyone," said Slughorn amicably. "Let's start from you, Nathan – why don't you introduce yourself?"

A handsome boy, whom Lily recognized as the Ravenclaw Prefect in their year, nodded back at Slughorn and smiled. "Nathan Morgan," he said, addressing the little company… His grey eyes met Lily's for a second, and his smile grew ever so slightly. "But the only one who calls me Nathan is my mother – especially when I'm in trouble. Call me Nate."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" whispered Liz in her ear, and she smiled slightly.

"Right," said Slughorn, "I taught young Nathan's mother – Monica, she was one of my favourites. She's the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes… A talented one with Charms; Memory Charms in particular. Was spunky enough to put one on me, too – I gave her a D on an essay, and she changed it to an A – and modified my memory so that I forgot that I'd given her a D! The sheer cheek!" He laughed, and everyone laughed along with him. "I still get three bottles of mead for Christmas from her every year… She really pampers this old man! Anyway, Nate… how is she doing these days?"

It was just as Liz had told Lily. Everyone seemed to be connected to someone famous, be it a higher-up in the Ministry, a famous athlete (as with Liz) or – like her; she was there only because Slughorn liked her. Finally, he came to her. "And this is Lily – Lily Evans!" he boomed happily. "A dab hand at potions, Lily is… Never quite seen a talent like hers!"

Lily had the grace to blush as Slughorn continued, "Well, Lily – you should consider a career in Potions. I know several people who may be able to help… For instance, there was Mildred Rodham, she's one of the ten Head Healers at St Mungo's! There was this one time when…"

The evening wore on as Slughorn narrated a few anecdotes about several students that he'd taught, and had become members of his 'Slug Club' (Lily pretended to choke on her Butterbeer as she hid her laugh) and had gone on to do extremely well in their lives. He told Liz proudly about how he'd received season's tickets for the British and Irish Quidditch League for Puddlemere United from Mrs Huntington, until her retirement, that is. He talked about another student who was going up in the ranks at the Daily Prophet, and another who had recently received a promotion to the Head Unspeakable (Lily had given Liz a confused look at this point, and her friend had indicated that she would explain later). He continued in this fashion until a distant clock chimed nine o'clock.

"Merlin's beard, look at the time!" he exclaimed. "You all should get going – it was nice meeting you! And if a Prefect demands where you'd been, you can just tell them that you were with me… G'Night, everyone! Chop chop!" He gave them all another genial smile, and Lily rose and followed Liz out of the office after wishing Slughorn good night.

"That wasn't so bad," she said as they walked back. Liz shrugged.

"I dunno – I was bored, to be honest," she responded. "I know – x" she added quickly, in response to Lily's scandalized look, "—Mum likes him, so I _will_ make an effort, but personally – these parties, it's not really my thing."

Lily grinned. Liz preferred to go outdoors for physical exercise rather than read a new book… She, Lily was exactly the opposite. And speaking of physical exercise… She had to make good on her promise to Matthew. She groaned inwardly; she wasn't looking forward to it, but she'd decided to work on her physical fitness earlier that summer, and she meant to keep that promise to herself.

"So – all set for tryouts tomorrow?" she asked, and Liz grinned. There was a gleam in her sea-green eyes that hadn't been there moments ago. "Most certainly," she replied, smirking. "Watch me wipe the floor with the poor blighters who show up wanting to be Chaser tomorrow."

"Er – there's _confidence_ , Liz – and there's _overconfidence_ ," Lily said tentatively, but Liz snorted. "I'm _self-confident_ – I know I can be Chaser. If Marlene can – I can too," she added, mostly to herself. Lily was confused; but before she could ask Liz anything, they arrived at the portrait hole. " _Russet_ ," said Liz, and the Fat Lady swung open to let them in.

"Are you coming to watch the tryouts tomorrow?" Liz asked as she gave the four Marauders a wave that they returned. "Yup," said Lily firmly as they began to climb the staircase, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Liz smiled. "I knew I could count on your support," she said warmly. Lily beamed back at her. "Always," she said as they entered their dormitory. "Well – I'm going to turn in early," said Liz, "Big day tomorrow – I want a good night's sleep. 'Night!"

"'Night," said Lily, "I'm just going to work for a while before going to bed." She removed her Herbology textbook and began to read, but her mind was elsewhere. There was no alternative that she could see; it was the only way she could increase her stamina. She sighed.

She was going to have to swallow her pride and just ask Potter for help tomorrow…

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"So why is Liz trying out for Chaser, Lily?" Remus asked her as they sat in the stands, watching their friends' tryouts. Black was going to try for Beater; Lily could see him on the pitch, doing some last-minute push-ups.

She shrugged. "Liz said she wanted a challenge – she's already won the Cup as Seeker last year, hasn't she?"

"I think there's more to it than that," Peter spoke up. He went a little pink as Lily and Remus surveyed him enquiringly. "Think about it – her Mum was one of the best Seekers England ever had… I think Liz just wants to step out of her shadow, right?"

"Hmm – that's very – _astute_ , Peter," said Lily, with a hint of admiration in her voice. Peter blushed at the compliment. "Makes sense," Remus supported, "It can't be easy, being the daughter of a famous Quidditch player…"

"Well – Mrs Huntington keeps a low profile, so Liz isn't really too affected by the celebrity status her Mum enjoys," said Lily. However, there was a feeling at the back of her mind that this didn't quite add up. If Liz wanted to make a name for herself in Quidditch, why would she approach it like it were part of some bigger plan? She decided to keep her thoughts to herself for time being.

"Where's Mary?" Peter asked her, jolting Lily out of her thoughts. "She's sleeping in," she replied, "She already knows that Liz is in the team – Potter will just keep her on as Seeker if someone else plays better as Chaser today, wouldn't he?"

"I suppose," said Peter. Lily caught a teensy note of disappointment in his voice.

"They're starting," announced Remus, and Lily quickly turned her attention back onto the pitch, where Potter was making everyone run around the ground. "Wow, does Potter know that Quidditch involves flying and not running?" she said dryly, and the others laughed.

"I believe he wants to weed the unfit ones out first," said Remus, "James – he's pretty big on fitness, see? He wants to make sure that the eventual additions to his team can play for long periods of time…"

This fit in very nicely with what she wanted. "I see," she said, as some of the hopefuls sat down on the pitch, panting. Apart from the team, only about twenty people were left standing after three rounds to the pitch. Then Potter and Marlene flew up, and one by one, made the students trying out for Chaser exchange passes with them. Of these, only Liz and two others survived, by holding on to every pass and passing it back accurately. Finally, they were made to go up against Adam Wright, and to Lily's elation, Liz scored four penalties out of five. Neither of the others scored more than two.

 _My word_ , thought Lily, whooping and clapping as Liz returned to the pitch, a huge grin splitting her face… _She actually did it!_ "I never thought she'd just wake up one day and decide to play Chaser – and actually do it," said Remus from next to her, and she nodded at him. "That's Liz for you," she said proudly.

Next came the Beater tryouts, and of the six people who tried out, Sirius Black and a pretty Gryffindor fourth-year girl named Olivia Dunbar performed best as Beaters, leading to their automatic inclusion. "Wow, I hope people don't accuse James of nepotism," said Remus as they watched Potter arguing with two boys, who were apparently among the rejected Beaters. "I mean, more than half the team's in our class – Sirius, Liz, Marlene, and James himself!"

"Good point," conceded Lily, "But Potter shouldn't care too much – after all, it's his team, and I'm sure he's taking people based on merit and skill. Look at Black – no one can question his place on the team after the way he hit those Bludgers!"

"I hope so," said Remus tentatively. "But I don't think anyone thinks as logically as you, Lily." Lily smiled and said, "Well – they ought to."

"Look – Seeker tryouts are beginning," said Peter, and sure enough, three students were now on their brooms and up in the air. Clearly, Potter had let the Snitch loose; the first one to catch it would make the team, as had been the case last year. Within ten minutes, one of the three dived, and a few moments later, rose again in triumph, holding something in his left hand.

"That's that – that bloke's the Seeker," said Peter. Lily grinned mischievously and said, "Really, I thought he'd be Chaser." Peter stuck his tongue out at her and said, "Funny," though it was obvious from his tone that he didn't think so. Remus laughed and stood up. "C'mon – let's go, let's hear the final announcement!"

They reached the huddle just as Potter said, "Well – thank you for coming, all of you. I'll be putting up a more comprehensive list of first-team players and reserves in the common room by tonight – but I'm going to announce the first team anyway. Adam, Marlene, Liz and myself retain our positions – with one small difference; our newest Chaser, ladies and gentlemen – Liz Huntington!" A few people clapped indulgently as Liz took a bow, grinning at Potter's mock-announcement.

"Right – Beaters, Sirius Black and Olivia Dunbar," Potter continued, and Black shook hands with Olivia before imitating Liz and bowing to the crowd. Up close, Lily noticed that the pretty, raven-haired Olivia Dunbar had blue eyes and a tall, athletic frame. She felt heartened; in a few months, provided she worked hard, she'd have a frame like that, too.

"And finally, Seeker – Donald Martin!" A freckled boy with brown hair raised his hand happily. Lily vaguely remembered him as a third-year; wasn't he a fellow Muggleborn? Impressive, she thought… Didn't take him time to get used to flying at all!

"That's it, everyone – you're free to go," Potter announced, and everyone who was there for the tryouts began to walk towards the Great Hall. "Well done," said Marlene, and gave Black a little kiss on the cheek. He responded enthusiastically by kissing her on the mouth, and Lily shook her head and stole a glance at Liz. To her surprise, Liz's face showed no trace of distress; instead, Lily saw a ghost of a lofty smile on her best friend's face as she turned away. She sighed and approached Potter.

"Er – Potter? Can I have a word?" she asked him, and he immediately tore his eyes away from Marlene and Black. "D'you want to give _them_ competition, Evans?" he said, grinning crookedly at her.

"Hardly," she said, repressing her irritation. "Actually, I need a favour."

"Anything," he said, his grin growing wider.

"Right," she began, "You remember how – how we all battled the Death Eaters at the QCL Final?"

A dark look replaced his grin. "Yes," he said tersely, "What of it?"

"Well," she said, "I – I remember, how you used so many powerful spells and – and, you know, didn't get tired at all…"

His grin returned. "Are you admiring my spectacular fitness, Evans?" he asked, and for good measure, flexed his muscles. She rolled her eyes. "In part," she conceded grudgingly. "Look, here's the thing – I want to get fitter, increase my stamina – to make sure that I don't lose duels because I get –" she grimaced, "—tired."

"I see," he said, "Your point?"

"Er – I was wondering – you're going to put the team through a fitness regimen, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," he replied. "To play Quidditch, you need to be able to fly for hours – I can do four hours at a stretch," he added proudly.

"Exactly," she said, "So – would it be OK if – if I joined attended Quidditch practice and joined in for the fitness drills? Once you're up in the air, I could jog some more – but I promise I won't get in the way," she added quickly.

Potter beamed at her. "'Course you can join us!" he exclaimed, and she felt relieved at once. "But are you sure you're doing it for your own fitness – or to admire my formidable physique?" He flexed his muscles again and smirked at her.

 _Dammit_ , she thought. _I'm going to have to put up with this – is it really worth it?_ But there was no question – it was damn well worth it.

"Maybe I'll join the Ravenclaw practice," she said with supreme indifference, and turned away.

"No!" he said loudly, and she grinned inwardly before facing him again. "Join us," he said earnestly, "Besides, I don't think Ravenclaw will allow a Gryffindor Prefect at their practice anyway."

"All right," she said cheerfully. "Thank you, Potter – it's very gracious of you." She genuinely meant what she was saying.

"Anytime, Evans," he replied with a smile that was suddenly warm, and not cocky like earlier. "Anything for you."

"That's – er –" she said, a little flustered; had his eyes always been so hazel? Luckily, she was saved from responding by Remus's arrival. "Lunch, James? Kitchens?" he said, and Potter nodded. "Oi, c'mon, you buggers!" he called towards Black, who was with Marlene, and Peter, who was talking to Liz. "Kitchens!"

"Right," said Black, and turned to Marlene. "Join us?" he asked, and she happily nodded yes.

"You two coming?" Potter asked Lily, but before she could respond, Liz said, "Nah – you all carry on – we'll see you later. C'mon, Lil!" She waved to him and began to walk off towards the castle. Lily gave Potter a small smile and a wave before following Liz, but not before noticing a twinge of disappointment in Potter's hazel eyes.

"Why aren't we going to the kitchens?" she asked Liz as she caught up with her. Liz rolled her eyes and said, "I just saved you from a replay of 'A hundred kisses by Marlene McKinnon and Sirius Black'… You should be thanking me."

Lily snorted. "Well – thank you for being so thoughtful," she said with exaggerated politeness, and received a punch from Liz at once. Laughing, they entered the Entrance Hall, and immediately came face-to-face with some of her least favourite people at Hogwarts: Mulciber and his cronies: Rosier, Wilkes and Avery. Severus wasn't there, however – and there was a new boy with them, a boy who resembled Sirius Black – which meant that he could only be his brother, Regulus.

"What're you laughing about, Mudblood?" Mulciber asked her rudely.

"I just recalled setting your pants on fire," she retorted, and Liz chortled.

Mulciber glared at her. "You shouldn't be so chipper – when the Dark Lord becomes all-powerful, you're going to be first to get hurt!" he spat.

She immediately pulled out her wand, and Liz imitated her. The Slytherins followed suit, and with a sinking heart, she realized that they were outnumbered more than two-to-one. She had full faith in her abilities, however.

"Watch it, Mulciber – walk away, now, and I won't award you a detention," she said tersely. "I'm a Prefect now, so you'll do well to stay in line."

"This place is going to the dogs," said Mulciber scathingly. "Mudbloods as Prefects – whatever next?"

"Shut up!" Lily shouted, enraged, but he simply laughed disdainfully before screaming, " _Aldoculis!_ " Lily was quicker, however; " _Protego!_ " she yelled, and the Conjunctivitis Curse bounced harmlessly off her Shield Charm. Jets of light flew from the other Slytherins' wands, but Liz managed to Stun Wilkes. "I'm protecting you, Lily!" she shouted, and Lily didn't need to be told twice. " _Stupefy!_ " she cried, but Mulciber dodged it. She duelled him fiercely, and Liz protected her efficiently from the other unfriendly spells. Teamwork – it was the perfect way to hold on against multiple opponents, and Lily Disarmed Regulus and Stunned Avery with two lightning-quick strikes. It was now two against two…

" _Levicorpus!_ " shouted Rosier, and Lily watched in alarm as the spell caught Liz completely off-guard; her best friend was hoisted upside-down in the air by the ankle – but thankfully, she'd been wearing joggers underneath her robes owing to the Quidditch tryouts, so she wasn't too embarrassed.

Incensed, Lily pointed her wand at Liz and shouted, " _Finite!_ " But nothing happened – Liz remained as she was. "Get me down, Lily!" she shouted, and Lily bit her lip. Mulciber and Rosier were guffawing loudly, and Regulus had retrieved his wand. "Nice one, mate!" Mulciber shouted, before fixing her with a bestial smile. "What're you going to do now, Mudblood?"

She watched them with narrowed eyes, her wand at the ready. She had to protect Liz, as well as defend herself – the odds weren't in her favour. What was she going to do now?

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	45. Chapter 44

Thanks for the reviews, Sri849 and CB and Filtercoffee. Thanks for your support! Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Four**

" **Potter seems to be awfully good at whatever he does."**

Lily surveyed her three opponents, trying to decide what was the best course of action. "Give up, Mudblood?" Mulciber taunted, and Avery cackled madly. Beside him, Regulus Black had raised his wand once again, but she could clearly see the indecision on his face.

" _Stupefy!_ " came a yell from behind her, but the Slytherins dodged the Stunner. Lily didn't need to turn around to understand that Liz was still fighting, though upside-down. She gritted her teeth and stepped squarely in front of her best friend. " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " she cried, but Mulciber's Shield Charm countered her Curse – she ducked, which turned out to be a mistake as the spell hit a defenceless Liz, who went rigid at once.

"No – Liz!" she yelled; how could she have been so stupid? Mulciber and Avery took advantage of her distraction to revive their fallen comrades as Lily desperately removed the Body-Bind Curse from Liz. They were back to two against five – and this time, one of them was at a severe disadvantage.

"Same tactics as before, then?" Liz asked tersely from behind her, and Lily nodded, her eyes narrowed. " _Diffindo!_ " Wilkes yelled, but Lily countered it. This was the time to use her signature spell… " _Lumos Intensum!_ " she yelled, and there was a familiar bright flash of light; but to her consternation, none of the Slytherins were affected. _Mulciber must've told the others!_ she thought, her heart sinking. _Why isn't anyone coming to help? We're in the Entrance Hall, for Heaven's sake!_

"Nice try, Mudblood," spat Mulciber, "But we know your little trick. _Cuferius!_ "

Lily blocked the Nosebleed Jinx, and responded with, " _Stupefy!_ " She wasn't the only one to do so, however – several jets of light shot over her shoulder and three of the Slytherins crumpled to the floor, unconscious. She turned quickly at the sound of approaching footsteps, and saw the Marauders and Marlene running in her direction – before a spell hit her in the back and she fainted.

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She came to, and blinked her eyes in order to focus them. It appeared as if Potter had revived her, because he said, "Rise and shine, Evans!" She hesitated before taking the hand he offered her, and rose to her feet quickly. Liz engulfed her into a hug immediately, now thankfully with her feet on the ground. "Whew, close shave!" she said, and Lily nodded. "What happened?" she asked the company in general. The Slytherins were all standing in a huddle sullenly as Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, scolded them.

"We entered the Entrance Hall – and saw you at it with those creeps," said Marlene. "Cowards, attacking you five to two…"

"And Hunt here was doing her best impression of a bat," quipped Black, and immediately received a punch from Liz. "It wasn't that good," he added with a mischievous smile and Liz punched him again. Lily noticed that Marlene didn't look too pleased with that little interaction.

"So we joined you to help – and managed to Stun them all except for Mulciber and Regulus," continued Remus. "You turned around – and Mulciber Stunned you… The git," he added, frowning.

"Yeah, first rule of duelling, Evans – _never_ turn your back on your opponent," said Potter, waggling his index finger like an inverted pendulum to indicate 'no'. "It could be the last thing you ever do…"

At that moment, the five Slytherins began to walk towards the Great Hall; apparently, Professor Sinistra had finished berating them. "Reg!" Black called, and his brother turned around. His expression remained sullen as he surveyed his older brother, who approached him with quick strides.

"What're you doing hanging with this lot, Reg?" Black asked aggressively. Wilkes and Avery clenched their fists, but Regulus's face remained haughty.

"I could ask you the same question, Sirius," he retorted, and his gaze turned towards Lily for a split second before he looked away.

"Enough," said Professor Sinistra firmly. "Go to lunch – or it'll be a week's worth of detentions!" she shot at the Slytherins, who turned their heels and marched away.

"What? Just a single detention each?" Potter protested to the teacher, who frowned. "That will do," she said reprovingly, "Let me do my job, Potter. And Miss Evans – do you need the Hospital Wing?"

Lily shook her head earnestly. "Er – I'm fine, Professor," she said. Professor Sinistra nodded and gestured for them to follow her into the Great Hall for lunch.

"'Twas nice for me not be the one Stunned, for a change," said Liz, a twinkle in her sea-green eyes as she walked next to Lily, who rolled her eyes. "I'll tell those baboons to Stun you the next time we battle them," she said dryly, and Liz laughed. Lily turned to the Marauders. "Thanks," she said simply, and they nodded back at her; Potter grinned. "Anytime," he said, "At your service, ma'am." She shook her head as they all sat down, and she noticed that Black looked pensive and annoyed. She wondered what that was all about… But she didn't have to think too much to guess; he was worried about his brother, wasn't he?

September passed by quickly with Lily's lessons keeping her occupied for most of the time. She hadn't wasted a minute telling Severus about her little skirmish with his friends, and while he'd look sufficiently annoyed and distressed, he looked simply livid when she'd narrated how Potter and the rest had come to the rescue. Lily had shaken her head and let that one go; she knew only too well why Severus's hatred Potter was growing day by day. He'd also looked at her guiltily (she wasn't sure why) when she'd told him about the _Levicorpus_ Jinx which had temporarily incapacitated Liz, before telling her that the Counter-Jinx was _Liberacorpus_ ; he had remained mysterious and refused to say how he'd known about that.

Apart from classes, Lily had her Prefect duties which kept her busy. She patrolled the castle for two hours every week, with Remus usually partnering her. They exchanged small talk at the time, and she was slowly coming to realize that despite the badge, Remus was a Marauder through and through. He spoke about his friends fondly: how Potter and Black had hearts of gold though it didn't seem that way, and how Peter was more than just someone who tagged along with them. Yes, she enjoyed her patrols with him – and she'd begun to feel more and more comfortable around him, too.

In addition, Lily joined the Gryffindor Quidditch practice four times a week. Potter had graciously told her that he didn't expect her to attend practice every time, since she wasn't a member of the team – or the reserves, for that matter; nevertheless, she still did out of motivation to increase her fitness. As it was, however, she got tired earlier than the rest during the first week, but by the end of the month, she was almost keeping up with the others (of course, they all had to fly for nearly two hours after the warm-up). The effect of jogging, push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises was slowly beginning to show: she was eating better, sleeping better, and her general mood was upbeat and cheerful despite the constant news of Voldemort's reign of terror outside the walls of the castle. She also observed practice a few times after her exercises were over; despite her relatively limited Quidditch knowledge, she could see that Potter was a demanding Captain; he put the team through drills, flying manoeuvres and constantly made tweaks in tactics and strategy. Liz had told her that there were very few moments of practice that Potter spent not yelling; to impress him was difficult, and he was always pushing them to do better regardless of how they flew.

Lily was corresponding regularly with Hans, too. She kept him updated about the war, and he declared that her fitness regimen was an excellent plan to enhance her endurance during duels. He gave her constant tips about new spells and complimented her elemental magic… But Lily had sensed that something was off. His letters were less personal than before… Like they were just friends, and nothing more. Of course, in her head, he was a boyfriend of sorts, someone whom she was attracted to and enjoyed spending time with… But that was pretty much it. She hadn't really opened up to him yet.

"I don't understand what's going on," she said thoughtfully to Remus as they walked along a second-floor corridor, carrying out their patrol one evening in early October. "I mean, we had a great time at the QCL Final… Save for that part where the stadium was attacked…" Remus shook his head darkly, and indicated for her to continue. "But after we kissed, I dunno…" She blushed, and Remus cleared his throat with a fake cough. She elbowed him in response, and he laughed. "I dunno – something wasn't right. He looked a little flustered… And I don't mean the good kind."

"You're overthinking this," he said. "Generally, when a girl kisses a boy, chances are that the boy will feel dazed and flustered…"

"Speaking from experience, are we?" she asked him with a suggestive wink, and he shook his head vigorously. "Me? No!" he exclaimed vehemently. "That's what Sirius said after his first kiss…"

"Are you sure it's Black with the experience and not you?" she asked him, her tone mischievous. He shook his head.

"Nope – it was Sirius, all right," he responded. Then a shadow crossed over his face. "There's no way it can be me, anyway."

"Hey," she said gently, and patted his hand. "C'mon, it doesn't have to be like that…"

"Who are we kidding, of course it does," he said tersely. "I can't – because of what I am…"

She held his hand and squeezed it, unable to think of anything to say. She could sort of see what Remus meant; he wasn't exactly wrong when he implied that his lycanthropy would be a danger to anyone he got close with. There was also the question of most of the Wizarding world regarding werewolves as beasts and monsters, so the chances of some girl accepting him for who he was were slim at best…

But it didn't always have to be that way. The other Marauders had seen past it. She, Lily, had seen past it. So had Liz. Lily didn't know if anyone else in their year knew, but she hadn't seen Remus being ostracized… Which meant that not many people knew (it was too much to hope for people knowing it and accepting him anyway).

Before she could say any of this, however, Remus spoke again. "Sorry – we were talking about Hans, I didn't mean to digress like that."

She smiled, understanding that he didn't want to talk about his problems. Well, he would when he felt like it, so she decided to drop it for time being. "Right – Hans," she said, "Where was I? Ah, yes – he seemed off, to be honest. Like he was – I dunno, confused? I don't understand – he was the one who wrote to me first. He came all the way to London – _twice_ – to see me. And I really enjoy spending time with him…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Problem is," she said, "I'm not sure if he does, too. His letters – they're nice enough, but during the time he asked me out and the QCL Final, about a month, I think – we must've exchanged about eight letters." She blushed slightly, and he raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot of letters," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Never took you for such a talker, Lily."

She mock-punched him, and he laughed. "Shut up," she said, smiling despite herself. "Anyway – point is, he usually drew three little hearts where he signed his name." She reddened even more, and Remus cleared his throat again. Shoving aside her embarrassment, she ploughed on, "But – he's not doing that anymore. I've had about three letters since the QCL Final, and he's drawn only a solitary heart…"

"C'mon, Lily," Remus said reassuringly, and Lily had the feeling that he was restraining himself from rolling his eyes with great difficulty. "I'm sure it means nothing…"

"It could – but it _couldn't_ , too," she countered.

"Did you speak to Liz about it?" he asked, and she nodded. "Liz reckons it's nothing, too," she said grudgingly. "She said I'm overthinking as well… Which is why I'm telling you all this. I wanted a bloke's point of view."

"Well – I agree with Liz," said Remus. "I don't think it means anything…"

"Er – OK," she said, still unconvinced; but she decided to put her doubts away for now. "Maybe I _am_ overthinking – then again, he's the one who seems off. It's almost like he drank some Widerwille Potion…"

"Brew him an antidote, then," he said dryly, and she laughed.

"Did Dumbledore say anything about who spiked the Butterbeer that day?" she asked him, and he shook his head. "Nope," he said, "Maybe it'll be one of the school's unsolved mysteries… Like what was Madam Whitney, that red-haired Healer, doing sneaking out of school in our third year."

"Perhaps," conceded Lily.

"And now, I have a question for you, Lily," said Remus, and she looked at him inquiringly. "Yes?"

"Er – I know that James has asked you out multiple times, and I know he tries flirting with you at every possible opportunity," he said awkwardly, and Lily felt irritated at once; she didn't like discussing Potter's apparent affections for her. "What of it?" she asked him sharply.

"Nothing," he said quickly, "Nothing at all…"

She regretted her tone at once. "Sorry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean to bite your head off. Your mate's an irritating bloke – he brings out the worst in me every time." She sighed, and he looked relieved. "You were saying?" Lily prompted.

"Er – right," said Remus, "Well – I was wondering why you keep shooting him down – but I guess I got my answer…"

"That he's an arrogant, conceited, fatheaded bully?" interrupted Lily.

"You do know that all those words mean the same thing, right?" said Remus dryly.

"Bully doesn't," she countered, and he laughed.

"True," he said, "But c'mon – he's not that bad, really…"

She sighed. "I know, Remus – I know. He's frightfully clever – seems to get by without really working too hard, doesn't he? He's good at Quidditch, he's a strong dueller – just about strikes gold at everything he wants to do." Her voice carried a twinge of jealousy. Suddenly, she took a quick look around, raised her wand and said, " _Homenum Revelio!_ "

Nothing happened; satisfied, she began to walk forward with an astonished Remus. "Er – what was that for?" he asked her, and she shook her head. "Wouldn't put it past your mate to follow us with his admirable Cloak – especially if he's told you to ask me about him," she added shrewdly. Remus shook his head vigorously. "This is just me – acting to satisfy my own curiosity," he reassured her.

Satisfied, she continued, "All right, then – where was I? Ah, yes – Potter seems to be awfully good at whatever he does. The problem is, he knows it. And that – that sense of superiority and audacity, y'know – like thinking he can do anything and get away with it – his _chutzpah_ , if you will – that is why he annoys me to no end."

"Wow – your vocabulary gets better when you're irritated," observed Remus, and she elbowed him again. "You're going off-topic," she said, and he grinned.

"Look – it's no secret, James is exactly how you described him – and then some. But that's not all he is. He – well, he's a good person, see? He's noble, chivalrous, and fiercely loyal. Plus he's brave and spunky – doesn't turn a hair when something unexpected happens. And –" Remus's voice became softer, "—he accepted me for what I am. They all did. They help me through my – _sickness_ –" he grimaced, "—in ways you can't even imagine. They've been my friends even after they figured out my secret, and I will never forget that."

"I'm your friend, too," said Lily gently. "I don't care if you become a – y'know…"

"I know, and I'm very grateful," he assured her with a smile. "But to stay on point – James is so much more than what you think he is, Lily. He may come off as too big for his boots – but beneath that cocky exterior and incredibly jaw-dropping – er, _chutzpah_ –" Lily rolled her eyes as he used her word, and he grinned at her, "—lies a bloke with a heart of gold. And I honestly think you're a little too harsh with him."

She walked silently, taking all this in. Finally, she spoke. "Look, Remus – I don't doubt it at all. I know that Potter's not a rotten egg, if that's what you're thinking. But – look at it this way. Severus – he's one of my best friends, Remus. Wouldn't you be annoyed with someone who treats your best friend like dirt?"

"So annoyed that you asked if you could join Quidditch practice with him? That you spent hours with him last year, brewing that dreadfully complex potion?" argued Remus.

"That's different – those were things I _had_ to do, so I don't mind working with people I don't get along with so long as it has a purpose bigger than my ego," Lily countered swiftly. "But you can't ask me to be friends with him. I'm sorry, Remus – but if someone treats my friends like that, just being courteous with them is as far as I can go."

"Tell me, though – what will happen if Severus comes across James, and James is alone and unarmed at that time? D'you honestly think he'll leave James alone?" Remus questioned.

"Who are you kidding, I know Sev will attack Potter in a jiffy," said Lily, sighing. "He can be awfully immature, really… But it goes both ways, doesn't it? It's not like Potter's going to leave him alone, either…"

Remus shook his head. "That's fair," he conceded.

"What're you doing, though – being his lawyer? You _sure_ he didn't ask you to talk on his behalf?" she asked suspiciously, and he shook his head again. "No, not at all," he said quickly, "Like I said, I just wanted to know what you're thinking. And you can rest assured – he won't know any of what we discussed. I can be awfully discreet – I think I'm pretty good at keeping secrets," he added wryly.

"'Course you are," she said warmly. "I know that…"

"James asks me about what you think about him every time I return from a patrol," said Remus, rolling his eyes. "I am usually evasive with him… I just tell him 'same old, same old', though he tries to find out more." He shrugged.

"He _knows_ I have a boyfriend, right?" Lily said irritably, wincing a little as she said 'boyfriend'. At that, Remus raised his eyebrows. "Er – do you?" he asked pointedly, no doubt referring to her own fears about Hans.

"Yes," she replied forcefully, "I do."

"I'll make sure to pass along the message, then," he said, mock-bowing to her as they came back to the Entrance Hall. Their patrol over, they walked back to Gryffindor tower, exchanging small talk. Once inside the common room, Lily waved goodbye to him, and made her way up to bed.

As she slipped under the sheets, however, she thought about the two boys she'd discussed with Remus. He hadn't been able to assuage her doubts about Hans completely, though she had to concede that she'd been overthinking. Maybe she would have to talk to Hans himself…

And there was the question of James Potter. She'd always felt there were two versions of Potter. The conceited, arrogant, cocky one for the whole world to see… The one who flirted with her shamelessly, even though she'd told him she had a boyfriend… And the noble, chivalrous one, supposedly with a heart of gold, whose glimpses she'd caught a few times… Like when they'd been in a sticky situation in Hogsmeade back in their first year… When they'd worked together on their DADA project in their second year… Their investigation into the attacks in their third year, where she'd gripped his hand (she cringed) when she was sure they were going to die… Their successfully-brewed antidote to the Widerwille Potion last year…

She sighed. He was puzzling, that was for sure… A paradox, a conundrum… An enigma that she was determined to figure out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, Miss Evans – I'm impressed, you've shown a lot of improvement over the past month," said Professor McGonagall to Lily, who glowed. It was true: she had spent several hours over the past month perfecting the Vanishing Spell, and could now Vanish tables and chairs with minimal fuss, something only Liz, Black and Potter had been able to achieve till then (they'd started on big inanimate objects after Vanishing kittens; non-living objects were easier to Vanish than living things, but progressively harder as they got bigger).

"Thank you, Professor," she said simply, glad that it was the last class of the day before the Hallowe'en Feast. Lily had been practising the Spell hard during classes, and she'd also spent hours on the theory and wandwork. Indeed, she had decided to get an early start on her OWL studies. They were studying offensive spells in DADA, something she was quite comfortable with; she was at the top of the class in Potions and Charms, and she was doing well in Herbology, too… And with all the other stuff she was doing, she was rather proud of the fact that she'd found extra time to work on Transfiguration.

"Wow – I can't believe you're so far ahead of the rest of us," said Liz wearily as they trooped towards the Great Hall for the feast. Lily frowned. "What're you talking about? You Vanished the table, too!"

"Not Transfiguration, dolt," said Liz, "I meant all the other subjects. I'm barely keeping my head above water, and you're all up to date – with time to spare for Transfiguration!"

"Well – it helps when I'm not spending four days a week flying like my life depended on it," Lily responded dryly. Liz shook her head. "James is running us ragged," she said, "He's far tougher than Gideon ever was – I'm usually _knackered_ after practice! It's like Quidditch is the only thing he cares about!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was true," said Lily thoughtfully.

"I'm honestly starting to think that it is," said Liz, shaking her head. "It's like there's a little voice in his head that keeps saying, 'Blow the war! The Cup's more important!'"

Lily laughed. "And how're you doing as Chaser?" she asked.

"Oh, it's great!" exclaimed Liz. "I perfected a move yesterday – give the Quaffle a little spin as you throw is, and it enters the right hoop instead of the centre, completely bamboozling the Keeper! Plus, it has a sort of _dip_ towards the end… C'mon – you saw it, you were there!"

"I was, actually," said Lily. "But Potter must've screamed at you at least fifteen times – so I wasn't sure how well you were doing."

Liz snorted. "'Twas an improvement, he screamed thirty times during the last practice," she said, and Lily laughed again as they entered the Great Hall. Live bats fluttered around the enchanted ceiling, which mimicked the clear night outside the castle. Several carved pumpkins, suspended in mid-air, floated around with candles in them. As always, the Hallowe'en decorations were magnificent as Lily and Liz took seats at the Gryffindor table.

"Hi," said Marlene cheerfully as they sat down. Lily smiled back in greeting, but Liz simply nodded before turning away to talk to Mary. Lily sighed; things between Liz and Marlene were sort of tense, no doubt because of Liz's feelings towards Black and her staunch claim that Marlene was flaunting their relationship in her face deliberately. So far, Lily hadn't seen any evidence of this, but she hoped that her friends would sort out their differences rather than enacting the Cold War in the Muggle world.

"All right, Evans?" said a most familiar voice, and James Potter slid into a seat next to her. "I _was_ all right – until you sat here," she shot back, and Potter laughed. "Ah, I promise that before this feast is done, you'll be eating your words," he said mysteriously. Curious, Lily asked, "And why is that?"

"Wait and watch," he said, and wouldn't explain anything more. Food appeared immediately in their plates, and they began to eat hungrily, and Lily found herself laughing at the Marauders' jokes despite herself. _They weren't so bad, really… Well, at least Remus and Peter weren't_ , she thought as she took a swig of pumpkin juice, which had just appeared in her goblet.

"So, what were you talking about earlier, Potter?" she asked him, and immediately wrinkled her forehead. Her voice had come out in a singsong kind of way. She immediately glared at him, and he raised his hands at once.

"I had nothing to do with this matter," he said, and to her astonishment, his voice was singsong, too. The others stopped drinking from their respective goblets and watched them in confusion.

"Why're you singing?" asked Liz, and the same thing happened. It was as if they were all part of a badly-trained choir.

"You sound like bells ringing," Lily sang back, and felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. She was sure that this was a prank.

"Dammit! Must've been that pumpkin juice!" Black trilled, and they all laughed at his off-pitch singing.

"Whoever did this – they're going to drop a deuce!" Potter chanted, his fists clenched. Everyone laughed. "I can't control it – what am I saying?" he chanted further, confusion on his face.

"Shut up – you sound like a donkey's braying!" Liz sang, her eyes wicked. By now, Lily was laughing openly. Whoever had come up with this prank had done their homework well – it was a type of the Singing Potion, she was sure of it. The Potion forced one to speak in a singsong voice, and made sure that one's response to whoever they were talking to rhymed with the last word that they heard. It was a funny little Potion, no doubt.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and wheeled around to find Gavin Johnson, a Hufflepuff Prefect in their year. "Are you all singing, too? What is this?" he trilled, looking most embarrassed. Lily laughed and said, "It's Singing Potion – rather hard to miss!" He gazed at her in astonishment before cracking a smile, too.

Elsewhere, people were starting to laugh heartily. No one seemed to mind that they'd been pranked; it was an entirely new experience to speak in song. "It was you, wasn't it? You're responsible!" Lily trilled, addressing the Marauders in general. They looked at her innocently, but she wasn't fooled. "No, we aren't – how's this even possible?" Peter chanted, and immediately broke into laughter.

"C'mon, own up, don't lie!" Marlene sang, and Black immediately gave her a winning sort of smile. "We're telling the truth – cross my heart and hope to die!" They all burst out laughing with that last bit. Lily was sure that the Marauders were the culprits – it reeked of their sense of humour. But obviously, they wouldn't admit it in front of her – she was now a Prefect, after all.

Up at the teacher's table, Professor McGonagall stood up. "Detention – to the perpetrators of this childish prank!" she announced, her voice carrying a touch of asperity. Dumbledore stood up immediately. "Oh, lighten up, Minerva – it's quite entertaining – to be frank!" he said, before giving a rich chuckle as the rest of the school guffawed. Evidently, even the teachers hadn't been spared from the Singing Potion.

They had pudding (Lily made sure to have limited quantities), and kept talking to each other in the same singsong way, with the effects eventually starting to wear off after about half an hour – which was just as well, as it would've stopped being funny and become annoying instead with time. As Dumbledore dismissed the school, Lily made her way back to the common room with Liz, still chortling due to the effects of the prank; it was creative, no doubt.

"I told you – wait and watch!" came a voice from behind her, and Potter and Peter caught up with them, grinning. "I take it that was you all?" said Liz, and Potter gave her a meaningful smile. "I'm neither confirming nor denying that, Hunt," he said, his hazel eyes twinkling. Liz rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Lily cut in. "Too bad – that was a truly _original_ prank," she said in what she hoped was a breathless, gushy sort of voice. "In fact, I'd be inclined to go out with its main perpetrator –"

"Really? In that case, it was _me_!" Potter interrupted hopefully. "So – next weekend – ten o'clock, Entrance Hall – sound good? Hogsmeade beckons!" He looked ecstatic at the prospect, and Peter shot him a look of chagrin.

"—provided, I _didn't_ have a boyfriend," Lily completed her sentence forcefully, and the beaming smile wiped off of Potter's face instantly. Lily gave him a triumphant look and said, "Patience, Potter – you need to let other people complete their sentences."

"No fair – you played me, Evans," he said, looking extremely put out. Lily shook her head. "Nah – it was your own impatience, Potter… Well, in any case, you admitted to me that you were the main culprit, so – 'Fraid I'm going to have to give you detention."

"You're a sly little minx," he said resignedly. "Fine – let's hear the worst."

Lily pulled a mock-thoughtful expression on her face. "Well – actually," she began, "I'm rather inclined to let this one slide. That prank – it was creative and funny, and I actually enjoyed it for once." She didn't know why she was blushing a little; it could be because she had paid Potter, someone who routinely got under her skin, an indirect compliment.

Potter looked at her in disbelief. "Never thought I'd see the day where you'd –"

"Yeah, now sod off before I change my mind!" Lily interrupted him, and he gave her a mock-salute and an energetic wave before hurrying away with an amused-looking Peter in tow; indeed, the fat boy gave her a tentative sort of smile before following his friend.

Liz chortled and said, "I'll give you that – you're certainly more cunning than you let on!"

"It took you long enough to notice," said Lily dryly, and Liz snorted. "Oh, I noticed it long back – remember that time with the Anagram Quill?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "Anyway – Hogsmeade, want to go together? Or d'you have a date?" she said, giving her best friend a meaningful look.

"Nope," replied Liz evenly, "No date – though a couple of people did ask me out."

"Really, who?" Lily asked excitedly. Liz rolled her eyes. "A Ravenclaw – and a Hufflepuff. They seemed nice – but unfortunately, the only person I'd like to go with is going with his scummy girlfriend…"

"Liz!" Lily admonished. "Marlene's our _friend_!"

Liz was unmoved. "She sure isn't acting like one right now!" she shot back. "You should see them at practice – getting all cosy – waiting to leave after everyone else to have a final snogging session in the changing rooms –"

"What they do isn't _your_ business," said Lily firmly, "It's _theirs_ – c'mon, Liz, you're better than this! This crazy, jealous person – this isn't _you_!"

There was a moment of silence, and Liz's shoulders sagged. "You're right – what am I doing?" she said softly and piteously. Lily patted her shoulder gently. "It's OK – it'll pass," she said soothingly.

"I guess I just miss him," said Liz thoughtfully. "I mean – before he started going out with Marlene, he and I used to have fun! Remember last year – when we gave him red hair after he drenched us? And when he tried out for the team – who persuaded him to do it in the first place? And whose house has he been to more, mine or hers?"

"I know," said Lily patiently. "I know that the two of you are friends – and now that he's spending so much time with Marlene – who happens to be _our_ friend, incidentally – it's natural to be a little jealous. It'll pass – I'm sure," she repeated reassuringly. Liz's beautiful face relaxed at once. "Maybe," she said grudgingly. "Since when did you get so cool and level-headed?" She gave Lily an appraising sort of look.

"I can be the sensible one at times," replied Lily. "An interesting role reversal, isn't it?"

"It is indeed," agreed Liz, and immediately received a little punch from Lily. "I'm kidding – I'm kidding!" she exclaimed, laughing. "But seriously, you're certainly much wiser than you think you are, Lil – it's just that when James is around, you become a ferocious spitfire!"

"Can't help it – Potter's a bloody –"

"Sure, tell me that for the hundredth time," Liz said, and Lily mock-punched her again. "Fine," she said, equally amused and annoyed, "I won't say a word."

"Good," said Liz triumphantly. "Now – has anyone asked you on a date yet?"

"I guess everyone knows about me and Hans," said Lily. It stung her a little, though, that her best friend had already been asked out twice or thrice, while she, Lily, hadn't…

"Let me understand this – you think you haven't been asked out on a date because of some bloke in another country?" Liz asked her incredulously.

"Er – yes," said Lily, but with less conviction than before. Liz shook her head. "You know, for someone so perceptive, you can be really thick at times. Isn't it obvious why no boy has asked you for a date?"

"Er – is it?" Lily asked her best friend in confusion.

"'Course!" Liz said impatiently. "And the reason has a name…"

"What? Who?" Lily asked urgently. Liz shook her head in disbelief, just as they entered the common room. Lily caught a glimpse of a figure with jet-black hair sitting in an armchair near the fire, and the answer to her question came to her at once. She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to understand.

"James," Liz said simply.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I like this – feels normal," said Liz happily as she drank in the cool morning air. Lily nodded, grinning. "I couldn't agree more," she said fervently.

They were en route to Hogsmeade, deciding to walk rather than take the horseless carriages. It was a beautiful day; the sky was a clear blue, and not a cloud was in sight. Lily knew that this was probably among the last days of warm weather that year; winter would set in soon. She clutched her scarf closer to her neck as a cold breeze blew across the street.

They stopped at Honeydukes', but Lily refrained from buying any sweets, even her favourite Honeydukes' special chocolate. On second thought, however, she bought a bar of it for Remus; she knew that the chocolate acted as a heat source, something which he needed on the days before his transformations, when his body got all sore. Liz bought a wide array of sweets, which she said was for Christmas presents to people. Recognizing this to be a good idea, Lily followed suit.

They went to the Three Broomsticks for lunch, joining Mary – who was engaged in a chess match with Peter, and was surprisingly giving him a tough fight. Looking at the chessboard, Lily immediately realized that while Mary was at a disadvantage, a draw was the most probable result… Until Peter played a masterstroke of a move, which involved sacrificing his queen. Mary took the offered piece eagerly, which turned out to be a mistake as Peter used his castle to set up a skewer for Mary's queen, followed by a knight fork that took one of Mary's castles, giving himself a clear advantage. Mary forfeited the match, and a triumphant Peter gloated all the way through lunch, much to Lily and Liz's amusement. They were just finishing up when Potter and Remus arrived, laden with merchandise from Zonko's. Potter greeted Lily with his usual 'All right, Evans?', and her nod to him wasn't unfriendly; after all, he was doing her a favour, so being nicer to him was the least she could do.

They spent the afternoon at the Three Broomsticks, chatting about a variety of topics – their OWLs, the new Reductor Curse they'd been taught in DADA, and the Silencing Charm they were learning in Charms, which only Lily had gotten the hang of. Pushed by the others to demonstrate it, she immediately took the opportunity to strike Potter dumb, before telling them that unfortunately, she didn't know how to lift it. Potter wasn't amused, and had to spend the next hour being the butt of everyone's jokes until the Charm wore off.

"That wasn't funny, Evans!" he said irritably as he regained speech, amid the others' laughter.

"I disagree," said Lily, enjoying herself. "It was an hour of blissful silence from you…"

"Well – if you think that's funny – how about this?" he said, and whipped out his wand and muttered a spell. She felt her hair grow warm, and immediately grabbed a strand of it; much to her chagrin, it had turned bright orange, now resembling one of the three traffic signals. "Potter!" she shouted, clearly discomfited, as he hooted with laughter. "What did you do to my hair?"

"A Rainbow Spell," he responded between loud guffaws, "It'll keep changing colour!" Everyone else began to laugh, too – everyone except Liz, that is. Lily shot Liz a grateful look, interpreting her friend's lack of mirth as a mark of their strong friendship – only to find her best friend with her hand on her mouth and red in the face with the effort of fighting her laughter.

"Urgh, you can laugh," she said with a grimace, and Liz immediately exclaimed, "Thank you!" before crying tears of amusement from her eyes. Lily shook her head in embarrassment before turning back to Potter with narrowed eyes. "Detention – nah, forget it," she corrected herself quickly. "Detentions are lost on you, anyway."

"That's the second time you've let me off, Evans!" Potter exclaimed, astonished. "I must be growing on you!"

"Yeah, well – I wouldn't get used to it," she shot back, still discomfited.

Just then, Severus came up to their table, much to Lily's astonishment. "Is he troubling you, Lily?" he asked aggressively, his wand out and look of loathing in his eyes as he glared at Potter, who returned his scowl with interest.

"No –" she began, but Potter interrupted her. "How is that your business, Snivellus?" he asked belligerently, his wand out, too. Remus made a tutting noise and tried to lower Potter's raised wand.

"Unlike you, Potter – I'm a Prefect," Severus snapped. "So – unlike you, I can hand out detention, which I am, right now – for turning her hair orange!"

"Yeah, but unlike me, you're a stinking, greasy, scummy git," Potter snarled, standing up. "So how about you clear out of here?"

"Enough," Lily said loudly, rising to her feet, too. "Potter – watch your mouth, or I'll strike you dumb again. Sit down." He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "Now," she added, and he obeyed, sitting down sullenly. She turned to Severus. "Sev – calm down, there's no malice behind this spell he used," she said, attempting to pacify him. "And there's no need for detentions – don't you think I'd have done the same if I felt it was necessary? _Don't you?_ " He quailed under her cross stare. "Fine, then," he said, before stomping away. She hesitated, and gave Liz a pleading look; Liz understood, and nodded her head encouragingly as if to indicate for her to follow Severus if she felt the need to. With a quick wave to everyone else, she hurried out of the pub behind her other best friend.

She found him hurrying away in high dudgeon, and had to run to catch up with him. She suggested they go for a walk near the edge of the lake, and explained to him why his anger was unnecessary (as her hair turned yellow). He gradually gave in to her appeasing tone, and explained that he was trying to protect her. "That's sweet of you," she said, and didn't fail to notice a little blush appear on his pale cheeks. "But c'mon, Sev – I can take care of myself. Honestly, there's no need for you to play my white knight in shining armour."

He nodded sceptically, but said nothing. They walked around some more, until Severus said, "You know, that spell – _Levicorpus_ – actually, I invented it."

She stared at him, astonished. "What? How?" she asked incredulously.

He grinned. "It's not too hard, really – you just think of the right words and imagine what you want to happen. It can take place with sheer force of will. Trust me – you can do it, too!"

She nodded in understanding, and they chatted some more before walking back to the Three Broomsticks, where he took his leave. She found Liz and the others seated at the same table, with two new additions – Black and Marlene, who wasted no time in laughing at her now-green hair. She sat down once again, and noted that Black's arm was as if surgically attached to Marlene's shoulders; also, Marlene seemed unable to resist from kissing him on the cheek every two minutes. Once or twice, Lily thought she saw something akin to triumph in Marlene's cobalt-blue eyes, especially when she gave Liz a passing glance. Lily wrinkled her nose, but noted with pride that Liz had a smile on her face as she chatted quite normally with them and the rest; maybe Liz was getting over her jealousy. She gave Potter an irritable glare, and to his credit, he immediately lifted the spell and mercifully returned her hair to its original dark red state.

However, on the way back to the castle, Liz said to her in an undertone, "See, that was unnecessary – slobbering over him every two minutes. I'll show her – the Quidditch match is just around the corner!"

Lily sighed. This passive-aggressive feud between her friends was escalating, and she had to admit to herself that Marlene's overly affectionate behaviour was inessential. Maybe Liz had a point… She hoped that someone would be mature enough to stop before things got out of hand.

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"And here we are again – season opener!" said Mary as took her seat alongside Lily in the stands. "But honestly, the weather could've been better!" Dark grey clouds hung low in the sky, and the sun peeked out from behind one of them like a Peeping Tom. "I know – I don't much fancy playing Quidditch when it looks like it could rain any second!" Lily replied, frowning.

The seats around them were fast filling, with an enormous number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs carrying Gryffindor flags; Lily felt heartened as she saw the support they were receiving, before realizing that most of the supporters were girls. With Potter as Captain and Black in the team, she understood why almost immediately; in addition, the Gryffindor Keeper Adam Wright was good-looking, too. She frowned in slight disgust.

"I wonder why this tradition started in the first place – Gryffindor versus Slytherin as the first match!" Mary said as Remus and Peter joined them. "Well – historically speaking, the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry has outclassed any other House rivalries," said Remus. "Therefore, their matches have usually been fast, a little rough, and with both sets of players exhibiting their 'A' game. It's the most hotly-contested match of the season – so why not have it as the first one?"

"Since when did you become a Quidditch historian?" Lily asked him curiously.

"Since I began to share a dormitory with James and Sirius," Remus replied promptly. Lily laughed and shook her head.

"'Morning, everyone – tricky conditions, these!" came Dorcas Meadowes's perky voice. "Looks like it could rain at any time – anyway, here are the Gryffindors, with several new faces and overwhelming support today – Martin, Black, Dunbar, Wright, Huntington, McKinnon – and the Skipper, Potter!" Lily and the others whooped and cheered as the Gryffindor team flew out and took their places on the ground.

"And now, the Slytherin team – with several new faces, too – Nott, Baines, Rowle, Hastings, Bond, Black – and the Captain, Croft!" Dorcas announced, and Lily exchanged a look with the others. "That's surprising – two girls in the team!" she said, "And both from our class – Ashley Bond and Brenda Hastings!"

"Your knowledge of our year is quite impressive," Remus said dryly. Then his face darkened. "I hope Sirius keeps his head – his brother is on the other side, playing Seeker." Lily quickly focused on the boy standing at the very end of the Slytherin team. Potter shook (presumably, attempted to crush) the Slytherin Captain's hand, and the game commenced.

"They're off! Here's – Potter, no surprise there, passes to – no, intercepted, Ashley Bond moves forward – Bludger – blocked by Hastings as the Gryffindors swarm around – now Croft – back to Bond – Bond _scores_! Slytherin lead ten-nil!"

The Slytherin supporters cheered, but there was silence in the rest of the stadium. "Wow – what just happened?" Lily asked, unable to take her eyes off the game. "Slytherin scored the first goal," Remus replied sombrely. "Didn't think they'd score before we did!"

"I don't think anyone did," said Peter, looking around at the silent spectators near them.

It was slowly going from bad to worse. Despite all their training, Gryffindor were being outclassed; the new Slytherin Chasers were keeping up with them, and that in itself was proving to be a hard nut to crack. "Our Chasers were our strength," Mary said, as the score went to fifty-forty in Slytherin's favour. "We always build a big lead – reduces the pressure on the Seeker, see? But now – their Chasers are great, too!"

Mary had hit the nail right on the head. Even as Potter scored twice in quick succession, goal-scoring opportunities were limited. It started to rain, and with the reduced visibility, the game slowed down a little. Marlene showed some of her magic in the final game last year, scoring three quick goals and taking the scoreline to hundred-seventy. Massive raindrops were falling around them, and Lily ran a hand through her wet hair. "Urgh – _Impervius!_ " she said, tapping her face and hair; the Water-Repelling Charm took effect instantaneously, and her view of the match cleared at once. The others followed suit (Peter needed two tries with it).

"Why did Liz have to play Chaser – she would've caught the Snitch by now!" Lily said fretfully. "Lot of faith you have in the new Seeker," Remus commented, and immediately received a punch from her. "C'mon, Remus – you know I'm right!" she exclaimed. "Look!" Mary shouted, as Liz streaked forward with the Quaffle. Marlene was alongside her, but Liz chose to shoot – and it was an excellent shot. It spun away from the Slytherin Keeper's outstretched hand, and entered the right hoop, dipping at the same time… _Must've been that spin shot she gassed about so much_ , thought Lily as she whooped and cheered, exchanging overhead claps with Peter and Remus. "That's the way, Liz!" she yelled. Gryffindor were finally managing to dominate like they usually did; with the rainy conditions, their experience was starting to show.

It was short-lived, however, Ashley Bond scored twice at the other end, and their lead dropped to thirty points. "Here's Potter again – ooh, an excellent pass, he's found McKinnon with pinpoint accuracy and McKinnon's away with Huntington alongside her – she pa- _no_ , she SHOOTS instead, and it's SAVED by the Keeper! For a moment I was sure she'd pass – Huntington was wide open!"

Peter swore loudly, earning himself scandalized looks from Lily and Mary. "Sorry," he apologised quickly, "I've been spending too much time with Sirius!"

"Really, I could never tell," Lily said dryly, but her face was screwed up. Marlene should've passed, really… Within seconds, the Slytherins scored again, cutting their lead to twenty. "Come on – come on!" Mary said fervently. "We can still win this!" The rain was steadily becoming heavier, and Lily knew that if the Gryffindor Seeker had to catch the Snitch soon, since scoring goals was difficult with the reduced visibility.

"And I think Regulus Black's seen the Snitch!" Dorcas yelled, and Lily gasped as the younger Black dived towards the ground. The Slytherins egged their Seeker on, but a Bludger came flying out of nowhere, and forced him off-course. Lily and the others cheered and clapped as Dorcas announced, "Prevented! Excellent Bludger work from Olivia Dunbar!"

"She's good!" exclaimed Peter, his mouth wide open with awe. "That Bludger would've hit Regulus if it had been a little to the right, though!"

"It did enough, Pete," said Remus reassuringly, turning his attention back to the game.

"Here's McKinnon – now Potter – dodges a Bludger, dodges Hastings, but Croft is on his tail – passes to Huntington, who's unmarked – and BLINDING! What a goal – she's scored from outside the final third of the pitch, in this rain, no less – _incredible_!"

"Yeah, Liz! Wooohooo!" Lily yelled, ecstatic. "Did you see that? Wow!"

"Everyone saw it, Lily," said Remus, but his tone was admiring. "It was breathtaking!"

"I wonder," said Mary, her brow creased, "Marlene was ahead of Liz, and no one was on to her – if I were she, I'd have passed! But I guess that's the difference between us – Liz was confident enough to score from that distance, even with the rain!"

"No doubt about that!" Lily agreed, clapping as Potter scored, extending their lead to forty points.

"Oooh, I think Martin's seen the Snitch!" shouted Dorcas, as the new Seeker Donald Martin went into a steep dive, with Regulus Black on his tail. Lily watched, alarmed, as a Bludger rocketed towards him directly – but Black was up to the task; the crowd gasped in wonder as he jumped off his broom, whacked the Bludger away towards his brother, who swerved sideways to avoid it. Heart in mouth, Lily was unable to tear her eyes away as Black landed back on his broom on the other side of Donald, all in the space of two seconds. "What a move! That's absolutely delightful from Sirius Black!" Dorcas yelled, sounding quite shocked herself. A second later, Donald sped upward, his hand raised in jubilation. Lily cheered and applauded along with everyone else, exultant beyond measure.

"And that's it! A thrilling match comes to an end – Gryffindor win, two-eighty to ninety!" announced Dorcas. "Blimey, my heart's still going so fast – thanks to some outstanding gameplay from the new Gryffindor Beater, Sirius Black!"

"She said it," agreed Remus as they began to jog towards the Gryffindor team, who were in engulfed in a hug at the centre of the pitch. Mary whooped and sprinted ahead of them, and the two boys ran after her; with a sigh, Lily began to run as well, lifting her skirt a little as she stomped through the water puddles on the ground. Her mind was preoccupied, though…

Had this been what Liz meant? Liz had certainly put up a better display than Marlene today – so, was her plan to outclass Marlene in front of Black and the rest of the school? Prove that she was better? Nah, that couldn't be it… Liz wasn't petty. Liz couldn't care less of what the rest of the school thought of her. But the fact remained that Liz and Marlene hadn't been too keen to pass the Quaffle to each other… Why was that?

Lily sighed again as she caught up with the team. If Liz and Marlene weren't ready to work together, it didn't bode well for the team… And it didn't bode well for their friendship.

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	46. Chapter 45

Thanks for the reviews, Tyler'sPrincess, CB, KJ (long time no see!) and SDS. Thank you for your support! Cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Five**

" **I came to ask you if you'd like to dance."**

Winter was coming. November progressed into December and brought with it an onset of snow, which made the entire Hogwarts landscape look surreal. Fortunately, Lily only had to spend Care of Magical Creatures outside in the snow, as the rest of the lessons were indoors (save for Astronomy and Herbology, but there were fires lit for warmth in those classes). Her workload was increasing progressively with the slow but sure approach of the OWLs, so much so that she even considered staying at Hogwarts for Christmas in order to make more progress, but decided to go home in the end. Along with Remus, Severus and the other Prefects, she helped Argus Flich, the bad-tempered caretaker, to decorate the castle (a lengthy process that involved hanging decorations, cleaning Hogwarts' several suits of armour) and patrol in additional shifts (Flich insisted on this because of his suspicion that the holiday spirit could cause an outbreak of enthusiastic duels in the corridors).

Apart from seeing her family, Lily had another reason to go home… In his last letter, Hans had mentioned that he was visiting, a thought which positively thrilled her. It had been a long time since she'd seen him, and the last time they'd seen each other they'd kissed passionately… Lily still had dreams about that kiss, and her heart yearned to see him again. However, even the kiss couldn't dispel her doubts about his somewhat distant behaviour… She knew she was overthinking, but meeting him again would surely put everything to bed. She liked him, she knew that much; they'd only met twice, but they'd spent quality time together. _Believe it or not, you're in a long-distance relationship_ , she told herself.

Liz was going away to Spain for Christmas and New Year's, but she'd invited Lily over for the last few days of the holidays. Lily was looking forward to this; she hadn't visited Liz since the summer before last… What with her fitness training with Matt, the QCL Final and a visit from Liz herself, she hadn't had the chance to go to Huntington Cottage over the past year. She jealously thought of Liz spending the holidays in sunny Spain; sure, it would still be cold, but it wouldn't necessarily snow and be drab and gloomy all the time… Lily had realized by now that she was happier when the skies were sunnier.

Then, in the last week before the Christmas holidays, Lily had received an invitation to attend Professor Slughorn's Christmas party that Friday (the day before the Christmas holidays commenced). Additionally, this time, they would be allowed to bring guests… She wasn't particularly looking forward to it; she'd been to the three previous Slug Club gatherings, and the last time, she'd been somewhat bored. Liz had had Quidditch practice (that day, Lily had left early from her warm-up with the team to attend the Slug Club gathering), and Severus (who had come to the previous party) had been unable to attend that one, citing a backlog of stuff to do. However, she was sure that he would be attending the Christmas Party at least.

Friday arrived, and Lily took the opportunity to ask if Severus was coming to the party during Care of Magical Creatures. Much to her relief, he assured her that he would indeed be going, a thought which cheered her up considerably… Liz was coming, too, which meant that she could have a good time with her best friends. She still didn't know who she was taking to the party, though…

"So – who are you taking to the party tonight?" she asked Liz as they walked back to the castle for lunch after Care of Magical Creatures. They had just one lesson in the afternoon – Transfiguration, which would be the final one for the term. Lily hoped that Professor McGonagall wouldn't start with anything complicated in the very last lesson before the holidays…

Liz grimaced. "You know very well whom I'd like to invite," she replied, and Lily nodded sympathetically. "But – as you know, I can't do that, so I might as well go alone."

"C'mon, Liz – don't you think you've spent enough time pining after him?" Lily asked her, with a mixture of assertiveness and kindness. "There's plenty of fish in the sea – I heard that Randall bloke from Hufflepuff broke up with his girlfriend, and he's really cute, too!"

Liz glance at her incredulously. "You know how much you're sounding like Jane right now?"

"Not so hard considering Jane was the source of that information in the first place," Lily replied, blushing. Liz snorted and said, "Nah, thanks – I'm not going to bring some random bloke to the party just because he's cute."

Just as they entered the Great Hall, however, someone tapped Lily from behind. It was Black.

"Hello – Evans, Hunt," he said, walking with them as they all took seats at the Gryffindor table, with Liz sitting opposite to her and Black sitting next to Liz. "I have a tiny favour to ask of you." He smiled brightly, and Lily read the grin as an indication that the favour wasn't going to be anything good. She sighed and asked, "What? What have you done this time?"

"Nothing," he said indignantly. "Just because I'm asking for a favour doesn't mean I've broken the rules, does it?"

"Doesn't hurt to check," Lily responded wryly, loading tuna casserole onto her plate. Black shook his head. "Nope, nothing like that. Er – I wanted to ask you – if you're not taking anyone to Slughorn's party tonight, d'you mind terribly if Marlene goes with one of you as your guest? That way – we could both be at the party!" He looked hopefully from her to Liz.

Lily stole a glance at Liz's face, which remained impassive. She focused on Black again. "You're in the Slug Club?" she asked him in astonishment. "I've never seen you at any of the gatherings!"

"I'm insulted that you'd think I'd be part of something called the – er, 'Slug Club'," said Black, though his grey eyes glinted in amusement. "Nah – I'm going as James's guest."

"Potter? _He_ is in the Club?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised. Why had she never seen him, then?

"That's right," said Black promptly. "But I doubt he's ever gone to any of your little – ah, _gatherings_ – because they've always clashed with Quidditch practice." This made sense; Lily remembered leaving from her training with the Gryffindor team early the last two times.

" _I_ suggested that he schedule practice when Slughorn invited us to his parties," said Liz, a smirk on her face. "James isn't very enthusiastic about them, either – so, he didn't need much persuasion!"

"And _Potter_ doesn't have a date for tonight? Whatever is the world coming to?" Lily asked, unable to resist with the mocking tone.

"Open your eyes, Evans," said Black, with the air of explaining something to a little child, " _You_ are the only one he'd like to go with, but he knows you won't agree because of your – er, German bloke –"

"His name is _Hans_ ," Lily interrupted forcefully. "And Potter's right, I won't go with him –"

"Which is why, if I go with James, and Marlene goes with one of you, the two of us could go, at least," Black cut across her. Lily considered; she wasn't going to go with any boy, and it seemed harmless enough to bring Marlene as her guest. She stole another glance at Liz, whose face was still impassive, but her eyes were slightly narrowed. With a sinking feeling in the region of her stomach, she turned back to Black. "Sure, why not? She could come with me," she said.

"Great! That's settled, then," said Black happily, and rose. "I'll tell her…"

"Hang on," Liz said, "What about Remus and Peter? Don't they want to go? I doubt that Peter wants to pass up a chance for free food." Her mischievous grin didn't quite reach her eyes, and Lily knew that Liz was faking it – and doing good job, too.

Black considered. "Well – Remus is – er –"

"We understand," said Lily quickly. "And Mary told me this morning that she had an invite, too – though she wouldn't say who, and blushed so much that I _swear_ she was redder than a beetroot."

"That leaves just Peter, then," said Black, looking relieved. "D'you mind taking him as your guest, Hunt?"

Liz shrugged. "Nope," she said shortly. Black beamed at them once again and stood up. "Thanks, I owe you one!" he called, and hurried away, presumably to give Marlene (and Peter) the good news. Lily tried not to look at Liz as she ate, waiting for the (highly controlled) explosion sure to come from her best friend.

"Why did you have to say yes?" Liz asked her tersely. Sighing, Lily replied, "How could I say no? I'm not going with anyone anyway!"

"You could've lied," he best friend said.

"C'mon, Liz," said Lily, her tone appeasing. "Marlene's our friend, even if the two of you have some – _differences of opinion_ that you need to work out. It would've been rude to say no."

"Fine," said Liz, devouring the rest of her meal in a very unladylike fashion. "But you can be the one who hangs around her – I'd rather avoid Marlene McKinnon as much as I can. See you in Transfiguration!" She got up, and with a slight wave in her direction, departed from the Great Hall purposefully.

Lily sighed. Liz and Marlene hadn't really talked much after the Quidditch match last month, and Liz had received a fair share of adulation and admiration for her incredible goal. Once or twice, Lily had seen envy in Marlene's eyes as people had spoken reverently to Liz or congratulated her for that goal. _Well, if Liz's aim had been to upstage Marlene's performance last year, she had definitely achieved that_ , Lily thought dryly. This passive-aggressive quarrel was getting out of hand…

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"Lily, how are you, my dear girl?" Slughorn asked her affably as she entered his office that evening. It was enlarged to twice its usual size today, and there were several more people present than she'd ever seen. She smiled at Professor Slughorn. "Just fine, Professor – and this is my guest, Marlene –"

"Ah, yes – Miss McKinnon, how are you?" said Slughorn enthusiastically, and Marlene smiled politely. "I remember your father – and your brother and sister, too – tell me, how is Alfred?"

"He's fine, Professor," said Marlene. "Though the Ministry's overworking him –"

"Quite understandable, given the circumstances," said Slughorn seriously. He waved a hand in the direction of the room. "Please – make yourselves comfortable – and Lily, come with me, will you? There's someone I'd like you to meet!" Lily bade goodbye to Marlene, who went off to find Black after a quick 'thank you' to her. She looked stunning; she was wearing midnight-blue dress robes, her long, waist-length black hair was sleek and lustrous, and she'd possibly applied some sort of Charm to her face that made her cobalt-blue eyes sparkle more than ever, and enhanced her dimples whenever she smiled. _She must really like him_ , Lily mused as she followed Slughorn briskly.

"Here," said Slughorn, and stopped in front of a medium-heighted woman who looked like she was in her late forties. Her hair was short and brown, and her face was kind and wrinkle-free. "This, Lily – is Mildred Rodham, Head of the Spell Damage Section at St Mungo's, and one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth centuries." At that, the woman laughed and trilled, "C'mon, Horace – enough with the flattery." Her smile grew wider as her eyes met Lily's.

"Right, right," said Slughorn, with a rich chuckle. "Mildred, this is Lily Evans – one of the top students in her year, and an absolute natural when it comes to Potions." Lily blushed slightly and shook hands with Mildred Rodham. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Healer Rodham," she said courteously, and the older woman chortled slightly. "Call me Mildred, dear – Healer Rodham is reserved for the trainees."

"I'll leave you two at it, then – Lily, why don't you tell Mildred how you brewed the antidote to the Widerwille Potion last year?" said Slughorn, and with a wink towards Lily, he wandered away. Lily presumed that this was Slughorn's way of helping her towards pursuing a career related to Potions. Well, she was certainly meeting the right people…

Mildred was surveying her with interest. "An antidote to the Widerwille Potion? Impressive," she said, and Lily blushed even more. "I had a lot of help with that," she said honestly. "Another boy – he helped me secure ingredients for it, and I only followed the instructions…"

"All the same, my dear girl, if Potions were a simple business of following instructions, anyone could do it. Nay, it's an art, Lily – the meticulousness, the flair, the creativity, and the willingness to be brazen and take risks, that is what it takes to be a successful potioneer," said Mildred with conviction. "What kind of career path do you wish to pursue after Hogwarts?"

"Er – I haven't really thought about it," Lily replied, frowning. Mildred smiled. "We could use a talented potioneer like you at St Mungo's… What with this war, we need all the help we can get – we're understaffed and overworked, as it is," she added, sighing.

"Er – so, do you have potioneers that brew healing potions on a large-scale basis? Is that what you're referring to?" Lily asked. If she was honest with herself, she didn't think much of a career to brew the same potions every day… Then again, if she was asked to work on developing a super potent healing potion or something, she'd be interested…

"We do – but that's not what I'm saying," said Mildred, shaking her head. "A talent like yours would be wasted there – nah, someone who can successfully brew the antidote to a complex potion like the Widerwille Potion at fifteen years old is better suited for developing new and complex potions or making the current ones even better. St Mungo's works closely with the Magical Research and Development office – there's an entire section for new healing potions. Does that interest you?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Definitely," said Lily perking up at once. "And I have a friend whose mother works there," she added eagerly, "Mrs McKinnon, do you know her?"

"Maddie Mac? _You_ know her?" Mildred asked her enthusiastically. Lily nodded, unsure of who exactly the Healer was referring to. Mildred hastened to clarify immediately. "Madeleine McKinnon – she was in the same year as I when we were at Hogwarts. She was in Gryffindor, though." Lily nodded politely once again. "We still correspond regularly – _and_ work closely together. Maddie McCarthy – then Maddie McKinnon – forever Maddie Mac," Mildred added fondly, and Lily smiled. "Her daughter – Marlene – she's my friend, and she's here, too," she said.

"Oh, is that so? I must meet her before I go," said Mildred. "Oh – hang on –" she drew her wand waved it; a few seconds later, a thick, battered book appeared in front of her. "This is something I found very useful," she said, thrusting the book towards Lily with a smile and a wink. Lily read the title: _101 Basic Healing Potions_. She beamed; this book would be something she would enjoy reading. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, and Mildred merely smiled. Lily proceeded to use a quick Banishing Charm on the book, sending it safely to her dormitory. That part was tricky; the Charm had to be cast strongly enough that the book made its way to its destination within two seconds, otherwise it would bump into things along the way and potentially raise a few alarms.

Mildred surveyed her Charmwork with interest. "Handy with Charms, aren't you? That's useful, that is… If you have any questions, don't hesitate to write," she added. "Let's talk about a possible job once your education is done, and your NEWT grades come out. We'd be happy to have you, though."

"I – thank you," said Lily, quite unable to think of what to say. Had she just received an unofficial job offer? Mildred smiled and nodded. "Well, see you later!" she said, and with a small wave, took off towards the refreshments table.

Lily let out a breath she'd been holding, as a familiar voice said, "Having fun?"

"Loads," she said, grinning and turning to face Liz. Her best friend looked stunning, too – her shoulder-length blonde hair and sea-green eyes complemented her curves beautifully. She was wearing sea-green dress robes to match her eyes, and in Lily's opinion, was the prettiest girl there. "You should've told me everyone would be wearing dress robes," she said accusingly, "I'm the only one here in school robes – I'm going to buy myself a nice set next summer."

"It's not a formal party – don't worry about it," said Liz reassuringly. "Besides, you still look beautiful, and you aren't even trying!"

"Nothing compared to you," muttered Lily. "Anyway – where's Peter?"

"At the snack table – where else? It's like he's taken up permanent residence there," said Liz, rolling her eyes, and Lily laughed. "C'mon – let's get something to eat – before he finishes it all," she added mischievously, and the pair of them hastened towards the refreshments table. The ambiance was excellent, with enchanted multi-coloured lights floating around them, and music being played by a band in a (magically erected) stage near one of the walls. Lily and Liz ate and drank as they socialized a little, making small talk with other students and a couple of guests who had been, evidently, favourites of Slughorn during their time at Hogwarts.

Soon enough, a seventh-year Ravenclaw asked Liz for a dance, which her best friend accepted hesitantly. Lily felt happy as took a sip of hot chocolate, gazing at her best friend as she danced away; any time Liz spent dancing was time spent not pining after Sirius Black. Lily still couldn't see why Liz liked him; he was too impulsive and brash in her opinion, and not at all serious ( _unlike his name_ , she thought, laughing inwardly at her own joke), though her scored wonderfully in all of their exams. _To each their own, I suppose_ , she thought as she spied Black dancing enthusiastically with Marlene as the band played a fast, flippant tune.

"Hello," said a voice, and Severus plopped down into the chair next to her. "How're you finding the party?"

"Sev!" she exclaimed, smiling at the sight of her other best friend, who was carrying a plate containing a solitary sandwich. "Where have you been – I've been searching for you!"

"I just got here a few minutes ago," he replied, eating his sandwich hungrily. "I was doing my homework and lost track of time…"

"Who's your guest? Bond? Hastings?" she prodded, bouncing her eyebrows suggestively. He shook his head vigorously. "Neither," he said. "I was going to come alone – but Mulciber sort of invited himself, and I couldn't tell him to sod off –"

"So _Mulciber's_ here?" she asked, her cheer evaporating. She disliked the muscular, beast-faced Slytherin with all her heart, and she hated the fact that Severus was friends with him. Severus nodded and said reassuringly, "Don't worry – he won't cause any trouble –"

"There you are," said a cold voice, and as if on cue, Mulciber strode over to them, with a plate of food in his hands, too. Glancing at Lily, he said to Severus, "C'mon, mate – let's find some – ah, _better_ company." He looked elsewhere, and Lily followed his gaze; to her astonishment, he was staring at Mary, who was dancing with her Ravenclaw date – tall, thin Roger Hathaway, who looked absolutely radiant with Mary by his side.

"Won't cause any trouble, you said?" she said, attempting to keep her tone dry, but failing to do so. Her hand gripped her wand that was stowed away in her pocket.

"I'm talking to her, Mulciber – I'll see you later," said Severus stoutly. Mulciber shrugged and wandered away, but not before giving her a contemptuous stare; she glared back at him until he went out of sight.

"That's what I'm talking about, Sev," she said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. "How can you be friends with _him_? And how could you bring him _here_ – of all places?"

"C'mon, Lily – I already told you over the summer, didn't I?" he said tiredly. "Look – if you're going to be like this –"

"Like what?"

"Like if you keep admonishing me over my friends all the time –"

"And what's wrong with that? Humans shouldn't be friends with baboons, anyway," another familiar voice interrupted, and Lily turned sideways to see James Potter walking up to them, carrying a cup of hot chocolate in his hand. He had evidently overheard her conversation with Severus. "Evening, Snivellus," he said with mock courtesy.

"What're you doing here, Potter?" Severus spat, his eyes full of loathing. "Did you barge in – came to steal the food, didn't you?"

"I was invited – by Slughorn himself," said Potter, somewhat nonplussed. "My, Snivellus," he added, a gleam in his hazel eyes, "You might consider washing your hair sometime – what do you use for a mirror, a mud puddle?"

Lily fought down a sudden desire to smile; insulting as Potter's comment had been, Severus had brought it on himself with his attempted jibe. "Watch it, Potter," she said nonetheless, coming to Severus's defence at once – but she didn't need to, because of what he said next. "Have you looked at _your_ face, Potter?" he shot back jeeringly. "I bet you'll look good on the radio!"

Lily giggled; she couldn't help it. She was heartened to see Severus holding his own against Potter, who continued to smirk mockingly. "I'd insult you, Snivelly," he said evenly, "But then I'll have to explain it afterwards, so never mind."

Lily snorted; this was getting funnier by the minute. Alas, it didn't last long – for Severus made an angry, hissing noise and pulled out his wand, and Potter followed suit. "All right – enough, no need of that," said Lily quickly, taking charge. A second's silence followed before both Severus and Potter replaced their wands in their pockets. It was hard to tell which face showed more hatred.

"I'll see you later, Lily," said Severus finally, and stalked off to join Mulciber. Annoyed, she rounded on Potter at once. "What was that for, idiot?" she snapped, her hands on her hips. He took a step backwards at once. "Woah, Evans – if you didn't notice, he insulted me first! Even after I implied that he was the only human in the gang of baboons he calls his friends!"

Lily fought back a smile once again, keeping her eyes narrowed. "Still – there was no need to insult him like that! Anyway – what're you doing here? What do you want?"

His manner changed at once. "I came to ask you if you'd like to dance," he said promptly, running a hand through hair. His usual lopsided grin was back on his face. "Just one dance – that's all I'm asking!"

She hesitated. On one hand, she had a boyfriend, though admittedly he wasn't here. There wasn't any harm in just one dance, was there? But then, this was Potter – Severus's worst enemy. Sev would consider it nothing less than a betrayal if she danced with Potter – even if they were somewhat cordial with each other. Then again, she shouldn't really let Severus influence her decisions…

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Severus leaving Slughorn's office with Mulciber in tow. Clearly, he'd decided he wouldn't spend any more time in the same room as Potter… She was worried about him. She didn't want to admit it, but his constant excuses for his friends were starting to put a strain on their friendship. If he wasn't going to pay heed to her feelings, she wasn't obligated to, either…

"I have a boyfriend –" she still said, indecision in her voice, something which he caught on to at once. "Oh, c'mon – just one dance!" he exclaimed earnestly. "I'm not asking you to marry me, am I? Though, come to think of it –"

"Ugh, fine! One dance – nothing more!" she interrupted, clearly against her better judgement. She tried to ignore the celebratory whoop he gave and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor in the centre of the office. The band struck up a slow, melodious waltz just as they began to dance, and Lily cursed her luck. Potter put his hand on her waist, and adjusted himself so that her hand rested on his shoulder. They began to dance gently, going with the beats and the overall nature of the song. Lily had to admit that Potter was an excellent dancer; he had no difficulty in his footwork, and he guided her well enough to cover for her lack of dancing experience. Their eyes met as they danced, and Lily was startled with the intensity of feeling in his hazel eyes – a look she'd seen before, one she couldn't quite place. He merely smiled at her, and looked as if he was savouring the moment.

When the song ended, he beamed at her, saying, "Thank you, m'lady." He bowed to her, kissed her hand, and proceeded to walk away, surprising her – she'd been sure he'd pester her for another dance. Much to her embarrassment, she'd actually enjoyed dancing with him…

As she returned to her seat, however, Lily suddenly remembered where she'd seen that look in Potter's eyes. It had been at her youngest Aunt's wedding when she was ten years old – her father had waltzed with her mother then, and Potter's gaze had been identical to how her Dad had looked at her Mum while dancing with her all those years ago – like she was the only other person in the room, and that he had eyes only for her. There was no doubt about it. Whatever Liz – and even Sirius Black, for that matter – had hinted at, they were spot on.

James Potter was in love with her.

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"I'm leaving, Mum – I'll see you later!" Lily called as she exited the house. It was six o'clock in the evening, and quite cold – it had snowed the previous day. The sky was dark, too – it looked closer to midnight than six o'clock. It was a few days after Christmas, about a year to the day she'd first met Hans – which is where she was going now.

"Make sure you are home by eight-thirty, sweetheart – or your Daddy will start calling the police!" her Mum called back, only half in jest. Lily smiled and hollered, "Yes, Mum – bye!" She stepped out of the house into the bitter cold, and began to walk towards Kaffeine, the local coffee shop that had recently started to offer dinner items on the menu, too.

She was in deep thought as she'd walked. She'd suggested that Hans Apparate at her house directly, but he'd politely declined, preferring instead to meet at a restaurant or a coffee shop nearby. She was surprised, but then again, despite knowing him for a year, she'd barely met him – which would explain his awkwardness. _That's fair_ , she thought as she walked. She'd had a nice Christmas; none of her friends had come over, but Matt had. He'd been impressed with her fitness routine, and even more so when they'd had a push-ups competition then and there, much to the chagrin of her parents and Petunia. Lily had kept pace with Matt until the first twenty push-ups, but his greater stamina and build had given him the edge; she'd finally had to concede defeat at thirty-five push-ups. Matt had been delighted with her progress, and asked her how she'd done it. She'd told him about asking Potter for a favour, and Matt had declared that he would 'like to meet this wonderful bloke who was whipping her up into shape'. Her parents, having had no idea about all of this, were suitably impressed.

She'd received some excellent Christmas presents, too… The top three had been from Liz, Severus and Hans, of course. She'd received a maroon jumper from Liz, with a photo of them on it – they were static, but smiling at the camera; Liz excitedly, Lily rather nervously. She remembered Mrs Huntington taking a photograph of the two of them at the Quidditch World Cup Final last summer. From Hans, she'd received a perfume with one of the most intoxicating scents she'd ever experienced, a fruity odour that smelt very much like strawberries – it beat her present to him, a set of Puddlemere United socks, in their home (blue), away (gold) and third (cyan) robe colours. Severus had gotten her a book titled 'Number Theory: The Origin of Arithmancy'; she was touched by his thoughtfulness, for he knew that she liked the subject, and she was looking forward to reading that book, which she knew would be very interesting.

Potter's present (she'd figured she ought to give him something as a token of thanks for all his help with her fitness, and she'd sent him a box of Chocolate Frogs) had been better than hers to him by a mile, though – it, too, was in contention with the top three. It wasn't anything special, just a miniature enchanted analogue stopwatch which would never break down. It was the thought that counted, though – Potter had suggested they start timing her runs around the pitch, and she'd agreed immediately. He'd sent her a letter with the stopwatch, too…

 _Evans –_

 _Happy Christmas! Thank you for the box of Chocolate Frogs – you're overloading me with sugar, but I can easily work it off during practice in the next term. Please find enclosed something that I think will help you in your training. Have a good holiday!_

 _James Potter_

 _P.S.: Thank you for the dance, Evans._

The postscript made her shake her head every time she read it. For a bloke who supposedly loved her, his present and letter were nowhere close to being romantic. They were courteous, rather like something one would write to an acquaintance – or a friend (on a very superficial basis). It couldn't be an indicator, though – as she knew by now, and as Liz had told her repeatedly – James Potter was a man of principle. There was no way he could show any amorous interest in a girl who was with someone else, regardless of his feelings towards her… He was too noble for it.

A familiar figure stood at the entrance to Kaffeine; she smiled as all thoughts of Potter left her head at the sight of Hans, in flesh and blood. She jogged the last few steps and engulfed him into a tight embrace – she was just so happy to see him. He returned her hug, and once they broke apart, Lily planted a little kiss on his lips and whispered, "I missed you."

He smiled. "I missed you too, _sch_ _ö_ _nes M_ _ä_ _dchen_ ," he said softly. "Shall we?"

"Of course," she said, but instead of holding her hand, he walked into the coffee shop on his own, and she followed him. They took a table by the window, and ordered coffee before asking for the dinner menu. They made small talk – he asked her about her fitness training, and didn't seem to mind that she'd danced with Potter at Slughorn's Christmas party, declaring that Potter, for all his brusqueness, was a decent bloke. The lack of a jealous response from him was slightly disappointing, though.

She was having a good time with him. Just his mere presence was enough to make her day, and she was happy that he'd come all the way to England just to meet her. But all throughout dinner, she was getting the sense that something wasn't right. She didn't know what – she wasn't very good with Divination – but it was the small things that had raised her doubts. They ordered pudding – Lily supposed she could have some tonight, considering that it was a special occasion. She ordered the fruit trifle (something she'd wanted to try at Kaffeine ever since her parents had sung praises of it to her), and they chatted some more as their orders arrived. Finally, halfway through dessert, Hans put his spoon down with a sigh. He held her other hand with both his hand and looked at her with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Something wrong, Hans?" she asked, praying that her voice sounded nonchalant – and didn't betray her sense of doom and gloom.

" _Nein_ ," he said quickly, before shaking his head. "I mean, yes," he corrected himself, and Lily felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Well?" she pressed.

" _Es tut mir leid_ , Lily – I'm sorry," he said, the mournful look still on his face. "But I don't think we can be together anymore."

The words washed over her like a tidal wave. The air around her was growing colder by the second, and she closed her eyes for two full seconds to collect herself. _I must hold my nerve_ , she thought fiercely. _Like Liz…_

With a Herculean effort, she opened her eyes and quickly withdrew her hand from his grip. "I see," she said, with barely concealed hurt in her voice. "Why, may I ask?"

"The problem is – _mich_ ," he responded softly. "To understand that, however, I must tell you a story – if you would care to listen. If you want to leave, I completely understand, I will take you home."

She shook her head; after all, if he was the one who wanted to split up, she deserved an explanation, and he was ready to offer it to her. She indicated for him to continue, not trusting herself to open her mouth in case her voice broke – she couldn't show him how hurt she was feeling, she just couldn't.

"Very well, then," he began. "At Beauxbatons – I have a friend. Her name is Heidi… We've been friends for years – we live in the same town in West Germany. Her parents and mine – they are close. Or, they used to be…

"Anyway, during our school days, we are in the same House – we play in the Quidditch team, too. She was once my best friend, and I could speak to her about anything… Which is why, when I realised that I liked her, not just as a friend, I told her how I felt. This was in our fifth year."

Lily drew in a sharp breath. This was sounding horribly familiar…

"Unfortunately, she didn't feel the same way, and for a while, things were _peinlich_ – awkward. I barely spoke to her, though she tried hard. I found it difficult to be around her, and avoided her for a while. Then – I found her moving on – with another boy. Our friendship, already strained at this point, became even more fragile.

"Then I met you – you were a breath of fresh air. You made quite an impression in my head when we first met, Lily… I didn't forget about you at all." He smiled sadly. "Then – one day I saw Heidi kissing that other boy, and I impulsively wrote you a letter. You responded, and I decided to try to get to know you better – so, I visited England last Christmas, and we met.

"You are a wonderful person, Lily… I knew I liked you, and it was great that we were writing to each other. Then I decided to tell you – I asked you for a date, to the QCL Final, and you said yes. At that moment, I was the happiest person in the world."

Lily nodded slightly, indicating for him to go on.

"Then – during that summer, before the match, Heidi came to me. I hadn't told her about you – it had been months since we'd had a long conversation. She was – _sehr traurig_. It turned out that she wasn't with the other boy anymore – and the reason was, she had feelings for me…"

 _Way to mess with his head, girl_ , thought Lily savagely.

"Naturally, I told her about you. She drew back at once – she didn't know, and she apologised immediately. She said she'd missed me – and she wanted me in her life. She begged me not to drift away from her again, and I consented. We used to be friends, after all…

"Then, tragedy struck. Just three days before the QCL Final, her family was attacked… Her father, he was a senior official in the West Germany Ministry of Magic. He had been responsible for giving evidence against _der Fuchs_ – the Fox, a criminal responsible for deaths related to debt collection. _Der Fuchs_ was convicted, and the Ministry promised her family protection if anyone in service of _der Fuchs_ decided to retaliate. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Heidi was visiting her friend, so she was saved… But her house was attacked – and her parents, they were killed." He looked at her, and his eyes were full of tears.

Lily felt horrible. She quickly clasped his hands in her own – he'd been close to this girl Heidi's parents, he'd said as much. "I'm so sorry," she whispered delicately.

He smiled and wiped away his tears quickly. " _Vielen Dank_ ," he said. "Anyway – naturally, Heidi was distraught, and I just wanted to comfort her – something that was _kompliziert_ – complicated, because I knew she liked me. That confused me, really – I thought I didn't feel that way about her anymore, but now – now I wasn't so sure. I was so confused that I almost cancelled our date to the QCL Final – but Heidi, wonderful person that she is, persuaded me to go…"

Lily kept her face sympathetic as she rubbed his hand comfortingly, not sure of what to say. She chose to let him speak, instead.

"But after the attack that day – I went home, and Heidi was right there, flying into my arms and crying so much. She had just lost her parents, and she had come close to losing me, too… She didn't kiss me, no," he added quickly. "But her behaviour, it just added to my confusion. I had thought I would get clarity after I kissed you…" He smiled. "It was a beautiful kiss, really – and it muddled me up even more…

"Throughout the past few months, I have been trying to sort things out. I kept writing to you, and kept providing Heidi with support, too… She is doing better now. She still wants to become a broom-maker… She thinks she can make the world's fastest broom." He smiled fondly. "At Beauxbatons – we have a Christmas Dance. You can either go on your own, or bring someone… The two of us decided to go on our own, me because I was with you and her because, well –"

"She still had feelings for you," completed Lily, and he nodded sombrely.

"She asked me for a dance – just one dance. I didn't see the harm in it – but as we danced to an Austrian Waltz, I knew in my heart that _ich habe sie gelibt_ – I loved her. And it was easy to see that she loved me too…"

Lily shook her head. If he was sure he would be happier with this Heidi girl, given their history – she knew that she couldn't – rather, she _shouldn't_ stand in their way. And besides, if he was already telling her he liked another girl, why would she be with him, anyway? He could do whatever he liked, really… She sighed. He was a nice enough bloke, but he shouldn't have prolonged his confusion…

"You could've just told me – earlier," she said, struggling to keep her tone even. Her hurt was slowly transitioning into anger, and she withdrew her hand once again.

His expression was tortured. "I know – and I'm to blame. I am very, very sorry, Lily… Please, forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted to tell you in person – you deserve that."

She softened a little, but it still didn't take away the hurt she was feeling. "Fine, then – go to her, Helga or Hilda or whatever her name is," she snapped, knowing perfectly well that the other girl's name was Heidi. She pushed away her fruit trifle. "I'm leaving," she added, standing up. "See you – or not."

"Wait," he said desperately, as he kept a couple of ten-pound notes on the table. "Let me drop you, at least – please, it's late."

She hesitated; he was right, it was past eight, and it was growing darker by the minute. She nodded silently, and he followed her out of the coffee shop. They walked to her house wordlessly; Lily was hurt and seething, though she didn't give any outward indication of it (at least, she thought she didn't). At the door, she turned to him and said, "I don't think we should talk – for a while, at least."

He nodded in agreement, and drew in for a hug, but she ignored him, and held out her hand instead. He hesitated, then gave her a mournful handshake. "I am sorry," he said, his eyes full of regret. The sight of those beautiful light-brown eyes melted her again, and she said, "Don't worry about it… Just – tell her how you feel, OK?" He nodded, and said, "Thank you for being so understanding. _Auf Wiedersehen._ "

"Goodbye."

He turned and walked away into the night. He looked back once or twice, and she quickly looked away from his retreating form. Then, as he got to the end of the street, he vanished; she supposed that he'd Disapparated.

Fumbling with her keys, she let herself in. "Mum! Dad! I'm home!" she managed to choke out, and before anyone could ask her any questions, she made a beeline towards her room; the wall of tears was threatening to break down at any moment.

She threw herself on her bed, and began to sob softly to herself. She couldn't believe that she had just broken up with someone… Though, admittedly, she couldn't blame him. It just bleeding hurt so much…

There was a soft knock on her door. Lily quickly collected herself and called out, "Who is it?" She prayed that it wasn't one of her parents, wanting to ask her about who she'd met… She'd been a little vague, having sidestepped questions about Hans quite successfully.

To her shock, a horribly familiar voice said, "It's me, you freak – do you have a minute?"

 _Petunia_ , she thought, still unable to believe it. _What the heck does she want? Nothing good_ , said the voice inside her head. "Not now, Tuney – I'm busy!" she said loudly, unable to hide the edge in her voice. She cursed herself mentally, hoping her older sister would just leave her alone. She couldn't quarrel with Petunia right now; she just didn't have any energy to do it.

The door opened, and Petunia came in. She'd grown into a rather pretty young woman, with blonde hair and pale-blue eyes – but she was a little thin, and her neck was far too long, giving her the impression of a horse or a giraffe. "Don't people get the concept of privacy around here?" Lily snapped. She didn't care about the rudeness. She didn't care about anything anymore.

To her surprise, Petunia sat down on her bed, and her face lacked the usual hostility. She asked gently, "What happened? Did you just split up from that boy?"

Shocked, astonished, Lily rounded on her at once. "Have you been spying on me?" she said roughly.

To her credit, Petunia didn't even flinch. She merely said, "Nah – my window overlooks the door, remember? I just saw a boy drop you home, but you didn't kiss him – you didn't even hug him even though he asked for it. You merely shook hands with him… And your eyes are red right now. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened, does it?"

"Maybe that's why you figured it out," Lily responded waspishly. "Not much of a genius, are you?"

There was an awkward pause, following which Petunia did something she'd never done for years – she put a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder, and squeezed it. That simple, kind act was enough for Lily to begin sobbing uncontrollably once again. "Shhh," said Petunia quietly, and pulled her into an embrace. All of Lily's self-control gave away, and she cried freely, burying her head into her sister's neck.

"There, there," said Petunia soothingly, as she rubbed Lily's back. "Just let it all out… It's going to be all right…"

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"She comforted you? She actually comforted you?"

"If you ask me that once again, I'll take this toy broomstick and shove it up your –"

"I'm just checking!" Liz said hastily.

It was the eve of their departure to Hogwarts, a few days after New Year's; Lily had come to Huntington Cottage for the last two days of the Christmas holidays – Liz had returned from Spain just four days before.

Lily stretched out on Liz's bed a little more. "The funny thing was – I wasn't expecting it at all. She told me that witch or no witch, I was still a girl – and boy problems was something every girl faced in her life, at least once."

"Too true that is – for once, your sister makes a lot of sense," conceded Liz. Giving her a sideways glance, she asked, "She didn't say 'witch', did she?"

Lily grimaced. "Nah – she said 'freak'. I disregarded it – she was being nice for once, even after my rudeness, I might add," she said, shrugging.

"So – are you two better?" asked Liz tentatively. Lily shook her head. "I don't think so – once she saw that I was doing better – she switched back to ignoring me, or calling me 'freak' occasionally. But it's OK – she's give me something I'd never seen for the past four years. Hope," she added, seeing Liz's questioning glance.

"Yeah, well – don't raise your hopes too much, we know how it can end," said Liz, a little loftily.

"Point taken," Lily agreed. She looked out of the window at the pitch-black sky, sighing a little. To her chagrin, her eyes filled with tears; she proceeded to wipe them away rather fiercely.

"Hey, c'mon – he's just a bloke," said Liz gently, rubbing her shoulder. "As a wise person once told me – there's plenty of fish in the sea." Lily chuckled wetly as Liz patted her gently. "Trust me – you'll find a better bloke. Besides, you don't want to be with someone who is still hung up over someone else."

"True," said Lily. She was all cried out by now; she'd shed a few tears after arriving at Liz's and her best friend had been extremely supportive (Lily had written to Liz while she was in Spain, and Liz had immediately invited her over to her house for the last two days before term restarted). Lily still felt hurt and angry, but the magnitude of it was decreasing day by day. _Time heals all the wounds_ , Liz had told her sagely.

"Here's something that'll distract you," said Liz. "I overheard my parents the other night, the day after we'd gotten back… You see, James and his parents had come over for dinner. James asked about you at once –"

"You didn't tell him I split up with Hans, did you?" Lily interrupted swiftly.

"No!" Liz responded, a little too quickly. Then her affronted expression became regretful, and her shoulders sagged. "Yes," she said, her voice low, and her head bowed.

"Thanks a lot," muttered Lily, shaking her head. "God, he's going to be irritating…"

"Sorry," said Liz. "He asked me if you were still with the 'German bloke' as he calls Hans – and I said no without thinking. C'mon – it was the only thing in my head, you were coming over the next day!"

"Fine – it's all right," said Lily, holding up a hand. "Continue…"

"Ah, yes," said Liz. "Anyway, after the Potters had gone, I heard Mum and Dad talking – James knows this, though I'm not supposed to, but – here's the thing. The Potters – they're being targeted."

"By You-Know-Who?" Lily asked, concerned.

But Liz shook her head. "Not quite… Just a Death Eater, apparently – one of the higher-ranking ones. Jugson, I think it was… You see, Mr Potter caught him, but he escaped custody. Yet another act of incompetence from our Ministry," she added scathingly. "This happened in October… But just before Jugson escaped, he swore revenge on the Potters to the Ministry official who'd been charge of him. He then proceeded to Curse the bloke's nose off."

Lily winced. "Sounds like a real piece of work," she said. "Are the Potters being given any sort of protection?"

"Yes," said Liz. "Mr Potter's fine, he is either at their home or at the Ministry, he's well protected – he's off field work for the time being. And James will be at Hogwarts, so he's fine. Mrs Potter… She's been advised to stay indoors at all times. I think Mum said Mrs Potter would be perfectly happy tending to her garden… And Dumbledore's going to help them with protective spells, too."

"They should be OK, then," said Lily, relieved.

Liz shook her head. "One can never be too careful," she said sagely. "They've been advised to keep their eyes and ears open for any trouble… So, they're taking their precautions. I just hope Jugson's caught soon…"

Lily nodded fervently. "How's Potter doing?"

"He's OK," said Liz. "Taking it in stride, he is. You know James – he's unflappable in face of danger. He usually just charges headlong into it…"

"That sort of behaviour is what gets one into trouble," said Lily, her lips set in a thin line.

"I know – I just hope his parents have made him swear that he won't go around looking for Jugson, because it's the sort of thing he would do," said Liz, her brow furrowed.

"Too right it is," conceded Lily. Then she added dryly, "And how exactly was this supposed to make me feel better?"

"I said it'll distract you – I didn't say it'll make you feel better, did I?" Liz replied promptly, the familiar wicked glint in her eye. Lily threw her pillow at her, and Liz dodged it, laughing.

Lily lay back on the bed, deep in thought… She couldn't imagine the kind of weight Potter had to carry on his head. If it had been her father who went out there battling dangerous wizards and witches, she'd be worried sick… She still hadn't told Liz of her realization at Slughorn's Christmas party. There was nothing to confirm it, anyway…

 _I don't know how you do it, Potter_ , she thought. _To have that kind of burden, and still be as cocky and carefree as ever…_ She felt her respect for him rise. If only he weren't such a prick… Then she'd actually be good friends with him…

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	47. Chapter 46

Thanks for the reviews, cm, KJ (jily happens in seventh year, you're going to have to wait longer!) and Anna. Cheers!

 **Anna:** It is said that (and I believe it) girls know when a boy likes them. What I am trying to show is merely a reflection of that. I know it's a different take than usual, but I honestly believe that someone as sharp as Lily can never be oblivious to something so glaringly obvious. And about the long-distance boyfriend, thanks! Yes, she was certainly beautiful, so it does seem plausible. Perhaps (!) there may be boyfriends much closer to home…

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-six. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Six**

" **You know nothing of what being in love with another person means!"**

"Dammit," cursed Remus as they walked back towards Gryffindor Tower. "This patrol timetable is messed up."

Lily surveyed her own timetable; it looked fine, she had two weekly patrols with Remus until the Easter holidays. "Seems fine to me," she said, confused.

Remus shot a furtive look around him, then said in an undertone, "The first week of May – I won't be able to come on Thursday night's patrol, because of – er, you know." He gave her an apologetic sort of look. "Speaking of, I'm glad we're not patrolling tomorrow…" He shuddered, and she shot him a sympathetic glance; he certainly looked ill – there were shadows under his eyes, and his skin had a distinct pallor to it.

"I understand," she said quickly. "Don't worry – maybe you can switch with someone earlier in the week. We could ask around at the time – in any case, you're going home then, right?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and giving him a tiny nod. He smiled. "I am – at least for the rest of the school," he replied. She smiled at him and they continued walking.

"Er – there was something I wanted to ask you, Lily," said Remus tentatively, and she turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Er – I heard you danced with James during Slughorn's party before Christmas," he said, with a trace of awkwardness. She frowned and said, " _A_ dance. It was _a_ dance. One – single – sole –"

"I got it, thanks," he said dryly, and she sighed. "Potter told you?"

"'Hasn't stopped talking about it' is the more accurate phrase," he said, his tone amused. "He was so happy that night – at least that's what Sirius and Peter told me, I wasn't there."

"Oh, God," said Lily, a little embarrassed. "I didn't want that to happen –"

"It's a little late for that," he interrupted. "I heard that you split up from that German bloke –"

"Word gets around," she cut across him dryly, and he chuckled. Then his expression turned serious. "I'm sorry," he said gently, "Are you OK?"

"Better now," she replied, gratified. "I was really upset a few days ago, when it happened – but I'm fine now – at least, I will be."

"I don't doubt it," he agreed, smiling. "But as your friend – I think it's my duty to warn you. Now that you're not going out with anyone, James reckons it's his turn…"

That wasn't unexpected; she knew that this was going to happen. In any case, she had an inkling that Potter was in – _Don't say it_ , said the little voice in her head. _It can't be – it_ has to _be infatuation, at most…_

"Ugh," she said, making a face. "Why would he think that?"

"You danced with him," he pointed out promptly, and she snorted.

"I was being nice!" she exclaimed. "He was being persistent, and I didn't see the harm – besides, he's been really nice to me this year, letting me train with the team – for the warm-ups and fitness drills, at least. I figured I should return the favour…"

She hoped that she was doing enough to convince Remus. After all, it sounded like something she would do… She hoped he wouldn't cotton on to the fact that it wasn't the only reason. Severus's disregard for her feelings had been the primary driving force behind her impulsive decision to agree for one dance with Potter. Granted, she hadn't done it in front of him, but she had done it all the same… She wondered if she should voice it out to Remus, who obviously knew that Potter liked her, but perhaps didn't know the intensity of his feelings… She decided against it. Now is not the time, she thought.

"Whatever the reason, I think it's given him hope," said Remus. "And now – now may be the best time for him to act…"

"He should know by now that there's no chance I'd say yes to going out with him," said Lily firmly. "Potter may be helping me, but that doesn't change who he is… He is still irritating, arrogant and fatheaded… And besides, he's horrible to Sev. I'd never go out with anyone who treats my friend like that…"

"Fair enough," conceded Remus, as they arrived at Gryffindor tower. They climbed into the portrait hole and entered the nearly-empty common room. "Well – 'Night, Lily," Remus said, and made his way upstairs into the boys' dormitories. She threw herself into the armchair near the fire, staring into its depths as she prepared herself mentally to a fresh onslaught of James Potter annoying her. It was going to be a long term…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It continued to snow as February arrived, but Potter gave the team no respite from practice. Lily wasn't very keen on exercising in the snow, but in the end, the desire to maintain her fitness won, and she joined Quidditch practice three times a week for her own training. The stopwatch Potter had gifted her was turning out to be very useful indeed; she was timing herself as she jogged around the pitch – Potter had told her that five rounds was roughly equivalent to a mile, and she pushed herself to run at least ten rounds in the snow. She'd hit twelve before Christmas, but having neglected her training over the holidays, she was down to ten, much to her chagrin. She had to do better than that.

The avalanche of work kept growing. She was barely keeping up in Divination, History of Magic, and Astronomy – doing just enough to stay on par with the rest of the class; interesting as those subjects were, she was sure that she didn't want to pursue them further (Liz had told her that after OWL year they could choose the subjects they wanted to pursue). Unsurprisingly, she was at the top of her class in Potions (tied with Severus) and Charms, while her performances in Defence Against the Dark Arts remained strong… And with all the extra effort she was putting in Transfiguration, she was finally beginning to gain some confidence in the subject.

In Defence, Professor Sherwood (or Redbeard as they secretly referred to him) had started teaching them something called Occlumency, after spending a few classes revising offensive and defensive spells, dark creatures, the Unforgiveable Curses, and Elemental Magic with them; the OWLs would take place at the end of the year, and he was sure that they could be asked anything from their time at Hogwarts. He wanted them to be well prepared not only for the OWLs – but for Voldemort as well, and considering the ever-present spate of attacks that were rocking the country, it was a necessity.

"The Dark Lord has his own ways of knowing what's going on in your mind," Professor Sherwood said to them one afternoon in the second week of February. "The mind – doesn't have an impregnable defence, y'all. If you're not paying attention, it can be breached – and then, everything you've been thinking, every memory – will belong to your attacker. Some of them are so skilled that you won't even know that your mind is being breached if you're not paying attention… For instance, Mr Pettigrew – you need to focus less on your plans after dinner tonight and more on this lesson," he added, and Peter jumped, blushing furiously. Potter and Black shot him filthy looks, which increased Lily's suspicion… With Remus out of commission that day (Had it really been a month since they'd returned to school? Time had flown so fast!), it was up to her to make sure that the Marauders didn't get up to any mischief.

"Wow – did you just read his mind, Professor?" Mary asked him, impressed. Redbeard shook his head imperiously. "The mind isn't a book, Miss MacDonald. It is subtle – there's several layers to it. Each layer is harder to penetrate than the last, and if you're skilled in Occlumency, you can defend your mind against external attacks – a process called Legilimency."

Lily shivered; she didn't like the sound of Legilimency at all. Her stomach gave a lurch; she wondered what would be seen if her mind was breached. How she was scared for Severus – her fears that she'd fail all her OWLs – her annoyance at Liz and Marlene's continuous attempts at one-upmanship – her renewed hope of making things normal with Tuney – and her constant fear that her family may be attacked by Death Eaters… She shook herself as a strong thought came to her. _I will not allow my mind to be breached._

"Right – I'm going to use Legilimency on one of y'all. The trick to Occlumency is different from person to person – but the most common method is to empty oneself of all emotion, so that you don't lower your defences in anger. Got that? All right – any volunteers? How 'bout you, Miss Evans?" The Professor addressed her directly. She swallowed before standing up. "Sure, Professor," she said, with more confidence than she actually felt.

"That a girl," said Redbeard, giving her a small smile (she assumed that he was smiling, at least; it was hard to tell from his beard and moustache). "Wand out, Miss Evans – and try to push me out of your head as soon as you feel my presence. Pay careful attention… On three, then. The rest of y'all, watch carefully. One – two – three – _Legilimens!_ "

Suddenly, Redbeard and the classroom disappeared, and Lily felt an unknown, external presence in her head. Memories flashed before her eyes, as if someone was running a film in fast-forward mode… She was seven, and Matthew's cup was turning into a crab – she was eleven, and Tuney was calling her a freak at King's Cross – she was at Liz's, running away from the three-a-side Quidditch game, livid with Sirius Black – she was gripping Potter's hand tightly in the Forbidden Forest, her heart aching with betrayal and sadness as Emily Walcott raised her wand –

 _No, don't you dare see that_ , a stronger voice at the back of her head said. _How dare you!_ It had been a moment of weakness, an instant where she'd felt sure she was about to die… Anger came to her defence at once. It was as if a fire had been lit in her mind, as she concentrated on burning the external entity to a cinder – it began to flee, and she mentally chased it out of her mind. The flashes of memory disappeared at once, and much to her relief, Redbeard came into view. To her astonishment, the teachers' table next to him was burning; he put out the flames with a simple wave of his wand, returning the table to its original state.

"Well, Miss Evans – that was good, that was!" he said, and there was a twinge of pride in his voice. "You managed to push me out – though, you spent some time shouting." This was new, she hadn't realized she'd shouted out… She shot an embarrassed look around the class, most of whom were staring at her with a mixture of surprise, curiosity and in Liz's case, admiration. Potter was frowning, however, and she quickly averted her eyes; the memory of gripping his hand tightly was too fresh in her head, which was feeling heavy.

"I take it you didn't mean to set that table on fire, did you?" the Professor asked, his tone wry. She shook her head, and he smirked a little before turning to the class. "Miss Evans threw me out of her mind – it took some time, but she did. Next lesson, I want to subject each of y'all to Legilimency, and see who can push me out – mind you, y'all are beginners, so I won't be trying very hard… But if you can, that's excellent, and I'll be increasing the strength of my attacks the next time…"

"Did you see everything I saw?" Lily blurted out uncomfortably.

"Flashes of it," replied the Professor. "You don't like flying do you, girl?"

She flushed. "Er – not really," she answered truthfully. The Professor grinned. "Nor do I, much," he said. "I like keeping my feet on the ground, I do." Lily gave him a tentative smile as the class tittered.

"Right, y'all – this is important. Like a colleague of mine says – constant vigilance!" he barked suddenly, and they all jumped. "Be prepared for an attack at any time – and have your defences up, starting now, until eternity. Dismissed."

There was a flurry of movement as everyone began to pack their things. Lily returned to her desk, only for Liz to promptly ask her, "What did he do? How did you throw him out?"

"I'll tell you – in the common room," she said tiredly. "God, my head feels heavy… Must've been because of that Legilimency." She rubbed her throbbing temples.

"Well – it was our last class of the day, and you just had patrols yesterday, so you can go to bed early tonight," said Liz, patting her shoulder. Lily nodded in agreement as they made their way back to the common room, to drop off their bags before heading for dinner. As they walked along the second floor, however, they heard a strangled yell – whipping out her wand, Liz set off quickly, and Lily followed suit. They turned a corner and skidded to a halt.

The scene was all too familiar; Black and Potter had their wands out, and Severus stood dancing on the spot on the other side, scratching himself uncontrollably. Peter stood behind them, laughing. "What's going on here?" Lily shouted, pointing her wand at Potter and Black threateningly.

"All right, Evans?" said Potter, running a hand through his hair at once and smiling at her.

"No, I'm not, you prat! What're you doing to him? _Finite!_ " she exclaimed, pointing her wand at Severus, who stopped scratching himself at once. He shot Potter a look of loathing, brandishing his wand – but Lily glared at him and said sharply, "You fire a spell and I'll hex you!" He looked uncertain for a moment, but to her relief, obeyed and lowered his wand.

"Good," she said, before turning back to Potter and Black. "Detention – to you three," she said, her eyes narrowed, ignoring their groans; Peter exclaimed, "I didn't even do anything!" and promptly earned himself baleful glances from Potter and Black. "C'mon, Pete! Why are you always such a –" Black snapped, but Lily cut across him. "You _laughed_ , Peter," she said simply, and the plump boy shrank back under the combined glares from her and the others.

"You know that using magic in the corridors is forbidden," she said severely. Then she faced the main culprit. "Potter," she said, facing him squarely and frowning, "What kind of example are you setting to younger students? You're Quidditch Captain, for Heaven's sake – it's a position of responsibility! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Ah, c'mon, Evans," said Potter, holding up his hands, "I was just having some fun!"

" _Schadenfreude_ isn't fun," Lily retorted, and seeing their confused expressions, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes and amended, "It's German for deriving pleasure from other people's pain."

"German bloke taught you that?" Black said, his tone tetchy.

"Irrelevant," she shot back. "Now, go away – and Potter," she added, with suppressed anger, "I'll be having a word with you about this."

"Whatever," Potter said, shrugging, before gesturing to his friends. "C'mon, you lot – let's go…" They started to walk away sullenly, shooting Severus filthy looks in the process (except Peter, who just shook his head). Lily watched their retreating backs before turning towards Severus.

"You OK?" she asked him, and he nodded. "It was an Itching Hex – nothing I can't handle," he said, his tone angry. "But those buggers had better watch out – one of these days they're going to get what's coming to them! And you," he snapped, rounding on her, "What're you doing, hanging around with that lot? How many times have I told you they're bloody loathsome pricks?"

"Still better than those beasts you call friends, Snape," Liz retorted, coming to Lily's defence at once, completely unruffled – but Lily knew that she was seething. Before Severus could say anything more, Lily interrupted. "Not another word, Sev – she's right. You cannot tell me to stop judging your friends – if you keep judging mine."

"You're friends with _that lot_? Seriously?" Severus asked her incredulously.

"It's none of your business who she's friends with, Snape," Liz said evenly, but Lily caught the undercurrent of menace in her voice. She knew that Liz was awfully close to attacking him – it was an unusual situation, where she was having to be the calmer one.

"It is if it's _that_ lot!" spat Severus. "They're all –"

"Enough!" Lily exclaimed loudly. "What're you doing here, Sev?" It was a valid question, after all… They were close to the Gryffindor common room, and a fair distance from the Slytherin common room.

"I – I wanted a word with you," he said. "In private," he added, giving Liz a pointed glance.

Lily exchanged a quick look with Liz, and her best friend looked as if she didn't want to leave. "Go ahead – I'll meet you in the Great Hall," she said reassuringly, and Liz nodded tersely and left, but not before giving Severus a dirty look.

"What?" she asked Severus without preamble, as soon as they were alone.

"Is it true?" he began, his voice accusatory, "That you danced with Potter at Slughron's party?"

She was taken aback; this wasn't something she'd expected. Granted, he'd been a little distant during their Potions classes for the past week, but that was about it; they still came out on top every time. Perhaps he'd found out only recently…

"So what if it is?" she returned defiantly.

" _Haven't you been listening?_ " he exclaimed, his voice urgent. "Potter and his gang – they're bloody, arrogant blockheads – what're you doing dancing with that git?"

"What are you doing hanging around with Mulciber and Rosier?" she retorted, mimicking his accusatory tone. He shook his head in exasperation. "I already told you – it is for my own safety. I need to keep up appearances…"

"You have your own reasons, I have mine," she said loftily. "Besides – you don't know any of them – so stop calling them names. Remus, in particular – he's the nicest of the lot –"

"Not as much as you think," he interrupted her. "There's something odd about him – suspicious, really… I don't think he's the sort you should be friends with…"

"What poppycock!" she exclaimed, using one of Matt's favourite expressions, one that he'd used extensively over the Christmas holidays. "Remus is a really nice person!"

"He may be acting – on Potter's orders," Severus replied, his eyes narrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him quickly, glaring at him – but her mind was working furiously. Severus knew that Potter liked her – though admittedly, she was starting to doubt it herself. He hadn't asked her out for a date even once since term began – despite knowing that she was no longer with Hans. Remus's heads-up had turned out to be a false alarm – as far as she could see, Potter was treating her normally, just the way he'd been before Christmas…

"Nothing," Severus said quickly. "But the point is, there's something sinister about Lupin – _wolfish_ , in fact," he added, giving her a significant look. She suddenly felt scared – did Severus know Remus's secret?

"I don't think so," she said, a little too quickly. "He's my friend, just like you are."

"I am only warning you – don't fraternize with him too much," Severus ploughed on earnestly. "It's my duty as your best friend to caution you…"

"OK," she said swiftly, indicating that she was done talking to him. "Is that all?"

She could see hesitation in his black eyes. "Yes," he said finally. Then his expression grew a little pleading. "Look – I know that everyone thinks that Potter is the best thing to happen to Hogwarts since it was founded, but I want you to know that he's not as great as everyone thinks he is. He's a bloody bugger with an ego the size of Ben Nevis."

"I know that," she said simply, just wanting to get away. "Thanks for the warning. And watch yourself – the people you run around with aren't the best kind."

"I don't have a choice," he said with a twinge of regret. "It's for my own protection…"

"You always have a choice," she replied firmly.

He didn't have anything to say to that, so he simply nodded. "See you later, Lily," he said softly, and began to walk away. She stood there, battling several emotions – anger, worry, fear. She was annoyed with Potter and the rest for their bullying ways, and worried about Remus… If Severus knew, that wasn't good – not good at all… And she feared for Severus, too. What if he was influenced by his filthy friends to such an extent that he completely immersed himself into the Dark Arts? How would their friendship be affected? Would it survive?

"He gone?" came Liz's voice, and her best friend tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yep," she said, turning to Liz in surprise. "Were you close by all this while?"

"You didn't think I'd leave you alone with him, did you?" Liz asked her. "What if those other creeps came to attack you?"

"C'mon, Liz – Sev is my friend. He wouldn't ambush me," she replied, suddenly feeling tired. It was getting harder and harder to maintain her friendship with Severus, and he wasn't helping at all…

"I wouldn't put it past him," said Liz disdainfully. "You heard him – all the things he was saying about Remus –"

"D'you think he knows?" Lily interrupted fretfully as they entered the Great Hall.

"I hope for Remus's sake that he doesn't," Liz replied calmly, though her eyes were worried. They ate quickly before returning to the common room. Lily was starting to feel tired again… Must be the after-effects of Legilimency, she thought, settling herself into an armchair next to the fire. Liz went upstairs to retrieve her Charms essay, something that was due the next day…

She caught a movement in her peripheral vision, and she recognized the all-too-familiar figure of James Potter as he swiftly walked towards the portrait hole. "Potter!" she called across the common room, and he stopped in his tracks and turned towards her. She beckoned for him to join her, and he hesitated for a second before obeying her.

"All right, Evans?" he asked her, sitting down in the empty armchair next to hers; however, there wasn't a trace of his usual lopsided smile… He looked like he was in a hurry to go somewhere.

"Why do you do it, Potter?" she asked him softly. "Why are you so mean to him?"

He looked taken aback. "He drew his wand first, Evans," he said evenly. "I acted in self-defence… Not my fault that I'm quicker than him, is it?"

"There's no need of that, Potter," she said tiredly. "Honestly, why can't you just leave him alone?"

"Try telling him that," Potter retorted. "I don't go seeking him out – but every time he sees me he tries to curse me, and you don't expect me to take that lying down, do you?"

She considered. "No," she said finally. "But you don't have to attack him –"

But he held up a hand. "If you don't mind, I'll talk to you later – I have to go," he said, standing up.

"Where?" she asked him curiously.

"To the kitchens – I feel like some coffee," he replied smoothly. "See you later." He waved to her, before striding away purposefully towards the portrait hole and exited the common room just as Liz sat down in the armchair next to her.

"What was that all about?" she asked Lily, who shook her head. "Nothing important," she replied, hoping that Liz got the hint that she didn't want to talk about it. Her tactful friend understood, and changed the subject immediately, much to her relief. "So – Saturday's Hogsmeade weekend, coinciding on Valentine's day," she said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe we're the saddest girls in our year – no dates!"

"You'd get one – if you stop saying no to every boy who asks you out!" Lily responded. "But no-o-o… There's only one boy you want to go with – and just like the forbidden fruit, you can't have him!"

"Is that so bad?" Liz asked her, and for the first time, she seemed unsure of herself.

Lily sighed. "No," she said comfortingly, rubbing her best friend's back. "It isn't… But you need to get over him, and soon. It's been almost a year…"

"I dunno – I'm trying, but it's hard! Every time I see him, I just want to kiss him so badly – but I can't, so I settle for the banter he and I share. It's the only thing I can do…"

Lily felt for Liz, but there was nothing that could be done. Sirius Black was somebody else's boyfriend… And you couldn't chat up somebody else's boyfriend, even if you fancied him.

"You'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "Now – let's do some homework – I'll get my books, too…"

She walked upstairs to retrieve her Herbology book and a fresh scroll of parchment, but her mind was elsewhere… Between Severus and his friends, Remus and his secret, Potter bullying Severus, and Liz still pining after Black, things were become more and more tangled. A tangled web, indeed…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Saturday dawned a sunny day, with no hint of the snow that had fallen all week. It was good weather to go to Hogsmeade, but Lily was in two minds… She felt no particular enthusiasm to go to the village; her homework had piled up at an alarming rate, and though she was sure she could get it done on Sunday, she was considering staying back just so that she could have an easier time doing it. It was only after Liz stating that she couldn't face the prospect of Black and Marlene on another date alone that Lily had agreed to go, giving her best friend some company.

Then something happened that morning which really tested her resolution to go to the village.

Just as they were all finishing breakfast, there was a loud BANG above them, and things started falling out of the sky – or at least, that was the effect created by the enchanted ceiling. It was a rain of red, heart-shaped confetti, and it continued to fall until a banner appeared above them which read: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, RESIDENTS OF HOGWARTS! SPREAD THE LOVE AND KEEP SMILING!

Students began to whoop and applaud, and Lily turned to Liz, amused. "That's new," she started to say, her tone dry – but Liz pointed somewhere behind her, her sea-green eyes glinting with mischief. Lily wheeled around once again and spotted a second banner in place of the first. To her profound embarrassment, it read, flashing in colours of red and gold: EVANS, WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?

She shook her head as students began to laugh and point. She could feel her cheeks go red; she just knew who was behind this – there was only one person in this whole school who had the bloody _chutzpah_ to do this.

"D'you like it?"

She turned at the sound of the familiar voice, and found James Potter standing behind her, looking rather pleased with himself. "I brought you flowers," he said, and handed her a bouquet of – yep, lilies – which he appeared to pluck from thin air. "Er – thanks," she said awkwardly, accepting the flowers.

"So – what of it? Would you like to go on a date with me today – to Hogsmeade? It's the perfect day, after all," said Potter expectantly, chuckling a little at his own joke.

"Er – can I have a word with you? In private?" she replied, trying to keep a straight face and not let her irritation show. He nodded happily, and followed her as she walked out of the Great Hall, trying hard to ignore the wolf-whistles, jeers and laughter that were undoubtedly directed at her.

She stopped after arriving into a corridor just off the Great Hall, where they were quite alone. She faced him squarely, only to find that same cheerful expectation on his face. She cringed internally. "What – in _God's name_ – d'you _think_ you're doing?" she asked him, pausing deliberately between words.

"Asking you out," he replied promptly, with his usual lopsided grin.

"Yes – I understand that, I'm not thick," she snapped. "What I mean is, why all the theatrics?"

"Dramatic effect, of course!" he exclaimed happily. She narrowed her eyes at once.

"Why would you do that? There's no need for drama!" she said angrily.

"C'mon – drama is the spice that makes the meal of life palatable!" he said earnestly, and she rolled her eyes at once. "And besides – I like you," he said, going a little pink. "I think you already know that –"

"But why in the world did you think I'd say yes?" she interrupted waspishly.

His smile faded. "Er – you see – I thought we were making real progress this year," he began. "You practising with the team – then not giving me any detentions – the Christmas present – and that dance, Evans." His expression grew tender. "I enjoyed every minute of it – I didn't care that you were going out with another bloke at the time, it just felt so – so, real…"

She just listened to him, unable to believe her ears. He ploughed on.

"Then I heard you'd split up from the German bloke – I figured you'd be upset and hurting, so I decided to not do or say anything that may make you lash out at me. Then this day came – Valentine's Day, Hogsmeade weekend – I tell you, it was written in the stars. The perfect opportunity to ask you –"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Potter!" she blurted out. "C'mon – I never indicated that I'd go out with you –"

"But the dance!" Potter exclaimed. "Don't you dare tell me it meant nothing to you!"

"I was being nice!" she retorted, though in her mind, she was suddenly unsure. Had it meant something to her? _No_ , she thought roughly. _It meant nothing…_ Aloud, she continued angrily, "You'd helped me out with something that meant a lot to me, and you were being so persistent… I figured that there's no harm in being nice to you!"

"So – it meant nothing?" he asked, frowning.

"Was it supposed to have meant anything?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised.

"Well – yes!" he exclaimed. "I saw how you were looking at me – your expression, it was something I'll never forget! That was a signal in itself that you liked –"

"Enough!" she interrupted him loudly. Then she took a deep, steadying breath. "Look, Potter," she said with forced calmness, "I dunno what you thought – but as you very well know, I was dating another bloke at that time, so whatever you thought you saw – you misread it!"

"Impossible," he said firmly, and she shook her head. "You only see what you want to see," she said, her voice gentle. "Is that why you asked me? You thought I liked you? You?" she added in a disbelieving sort of voice.

"Well – that, and…" He paused, and looked as if he was trying to decide whether or not to go on.

"And what?" she prodded. Was he going to say it? She fervently hoped he wasn't… But it was futile.

"And – I'm in lo –"

She gave a loud shout of mirth. "Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds?" she exclaimed, unable to control her laughter. Potter looked hurt.

"I don't think this is a laughing matter," he said, with dignity. "I'm trying to tell you –"

"That you _love_ me? Is that it, Potter?" she cut across him, all amusement gone. He nodded dumbly, and his expression became eager once again. "There – I've said it – now, will you –"

"Dammit, Potter! Don't you understand?" she snapped. "You know nothing – nothing of what being in love with another person means. _This_ – whatever _this_ is, is a crush – or infatuation – or something else! Not love, you idiot!"

"Not love?" he repeated bemusedly.

She shook her head vigorously. "No!" she exclaimed. "And if you don't know what love is – I'm not going to tell you. You need to learn that by yourself!"

She turned on her heel, about to walk away, before pausing. "And in case it isn't clear – no, I'm not going on a date with you, Potter. Not today – not ever! Have a nice day – and thanks for the flowers." And with that parting shot, she made a beeline towards the common room, seething. It looked like Liz would be going to Hogsmeade alone that day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fact that Lily Evans had rejected James Potter became the talk of the school over the next few days. Much to her irritation, Lily came under the scrutiny of about a quarter of the school's girl population, most of whom were third- and fourth-year Gryffindors, but there was a substantial number of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and older girls as well. She also found girls trying to eavesdrop on her conversations, be it with Liz, or Marlene, or any of her friends, for that matter…

To top it all, Severus had met her that day itself, in a furious tirade about Potter, vilifying him and his brazen cheek. He offered to hex Potter for her, but she curtly told him that she didn't need _him_ , of all people, to interfere on her behalf. He did the next best thing, though – he taught her a new spell ( _Muffliato!_ ) which filled the ears of people inside a ten-foot radius with an odd sort of buzzing that prevented her conversations from being eavesdropped. She was grateful, and suitably impressed when he told her proudly that he'd created that spell himself.

However, much to her chagrin, whatever she'd said to Potter that day hadn't worked. Potter had asked her again three more times, the last time involving a song:

 _She's so great, she makes me feel whole,_

 _Her crimson hair sets fire to my soul,_

 _Oh, dear Evans, I'm in love with thee,_

 _Will your ladyship go out with me?_

Everyone in the Great Hall had laughed and whistled, and a sixth-year Gryffindor boy had actually yelled, "Oh, c'mon, Evans – just say yes!" Ignoring him and the rest of the school, however, she's shouted, "For the last time, Potter – NO! And your lyrics are terrible!" She'd then proceeded to use a Silencing Charm on him before storming off with a guffawing Liz in tow.

That was the main reason Lily had stopped joining the Gryffindor team's Quidditch training since Valentine's Day. She just couldn't face the prospect of Potter badgering her continuously… She woke up early every morning, at six o'clock, for a jog around the Quidditch pitch. She used Warming Charms to protect herself from the cold and the occasional snow, and ran hard, using the stopwatch (and cringing every time) Potter had given her for Christmas to note her lap time. She was getting better and better, and by the time March arrived, she was easily running three miles at a stretch before her routine of push-ups, sit-ups and planking.

"So – what predictions?" Mary asked her as they took their seats in the Quidditch stadium one Saturday in mid-March. It was the day of Gryffindor's second Quidditch match, against Hufflepuff… Slytherin had thumped Ravenclaw, which meant that if Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff, they'd be the favourites to win the Cup. If they lost, however – it would be the same as last year; the last two matches would be decisive, which made it vital for them to win today.

"High-pressure game, but I think we'll win it," said Lily confidently. "Our team's good, really – Black's doing a fine job with the bat, and Liz was outstanding against Slytherin! Plus, Marlene's in good form, too…" She deliberately left Potter out of her list – the mere mention of him was causing her to be greatly irritated these days.

"And there's always Potter," Mary added, much to her annoyance. Apparently, she hadn't cottoned on to her disdain for Potter… But one look at Mary told her that she was wrong; her friend was shaking with silent laughter. Shaking her head, Lily said, "Yep. The Captain himself."

Remus and Peter joined them just then, and Remus gave her a nod and a tentative smile. They hadn't spoken too much about Potter's pursuit of her, but her attitude towards Remus had been cool somewhat; she supposed that he could've done more to stop his friend from annoying her. Admittedly, she wasn't sure that Potter would listen to Remus even if the latter talked to him…

"Hello – and welcome to this term's second match – Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!" Dorcas Meadowes boomed cheerfully. "Perfect conditions, these – we have some bright sunlight, and a pleasantly cool breeze in the air, but it can get windy soon, just giving a heads-up!"

Lily shivered slightly and tightened her scarf around her neck. It was colder than Dorcas had made it sound.

"And here come the Gryffindors! Martin, Huntington, McKinnon, Dunbar, Black, Wright – led ably by the Captain, James Potter, whose setting detention records will surely outnumber his Quidditch records one day!" shouted Dorcas, and the crowd laughed and jeered. Lily, however, wasn't amused. "He's Captain – he should act more responsibly!" she said to no one in particular, shaking her head.

"And on the other side of the pitch, we have the Hufflepuffs – Watson, Duff, Montgomery, Bevan, Johnson, Zeller – and the Captain, Ronald Kirwan!" The fans in yellow cheered and clapped as their team flew onto the pitch. The captains shook hands, and the game commenced.

"They're off! It's Kirwan – Duff – Kirwan – tries a reverse-pass, but intercepted by Huntington – now, Potter – streaks ahead, down the centre – McKinnon to his right, she's in possession now, Huntington's ahead of her – but McKinnon shoots – and, scores! Ten-nil to Gryffindor!"

Mary and Lily cheered enthusiastically as Marlene punched the air in celebration. It was certainly a high-quality finish by the brunette.

"Here's Kirwan again – now, Duff – does well to keep the Quaffle – WHAM! – ooh, Bludger from Dunbar and Duff drops it – Huntington in possession – she's flying at breakneck speed here, ooh, dodges a Bludger – McKinnon's next to her – but Huntington shoots! And it's saved!"

Lily grimaced. "C'mon, Liz – pass!" she prayed softly. Mary turned to her, frowning. "That was really childish from Liz – and Marlene's told me that she's been really horrid to her for the past few months!" she said. "Whatever problem she has with Mar, though – they should really keep it away from the pitch!"

Lily sighed; it appeared as if Mary was clueless about Liz's feelings towards Sirius Black, and resentment towards Marlene as a result. Then again, she wasn't surprised – _Mary is about as sharp as a hammer_ , she thought dryly. _She's a dreamer…_

On the pitch, Potter scored, taking the score to twenty-nil. But by now, Hufflepuff were finding a foothold in the game, and they began to pull back steadily. Duff scored thrice in quick succession, and with Bevan and Kirwan providing him excellent support, the Hufflepuffs raced to a lead of sixty to thirty. At the other end, Potter kept Gryffindor in the game valiantly; quickly understanding his Chasers' reluctance to pass to one another, he remained in the centre, and it had the desired effect – Liz and Marlene passed to him willingly, and he kept scoring as many goals as he could.

"Potter scores again! Eighty-seventy to Gryffindor – the team in scarlet is catching up, with the Captain leading from the front! Here's Bevan again – Bludger from Black, and Potter's dispossessed him – Huntington on the left – she shoots – and scores! Eighty-eighty!"

"Yes, that's it, Liz!" Lily screamed, clapping. Behind her, Remus and Peter cheered enthusiastically, too. "Did you see that Bludger, Moony? 'Twas amazing from Padfoot!"

Lily wheeled around. "Er – Moony? Padfoot? What're those?" she asked them curiously.

Peter covered his mouth at once, and Remus frowned. Lily had the impression that he was doing some quick thinking.

"Er – they're nicknames, see?" he said finally. "I'm Moony – because, er –"

"I understand," said Lily, frowning as well. "But why are you broadcasting it?" she added, a little affronted. To her surprise, Remus chuckled. "Moony also means someone whose head is always in the clouds. People assume that when they hear it – don't worry, I'm safe."

"All the same – if that's your nickname, you had better make sure that you say it when no one suspicious is around," cautioned Lily. Remus and Peter nodded. "Good point," said Remus.

"And Padfoot? Is that Black?" she asked them. Peter nodded slowly. "Er – because –"

"Have you seen him eat?" Remus interrupted wryly. "He's more dog than human when he's hungry…"

Lily laughed; it definitely made sense. "Do you all have nicknames then?" she asked them further. Remus nodded. "Yep," he said, "Pete here's Wormtail – he tried to turn a needle into an earthworm once, and only got half the worm – the rear side, see?"

Lily chuckled. "And Potter?" she asked, ignoring the familiar twinge of mild irritation.

"He's Prongs," said Peter eagerly, "Remember last year – when Snape pulled off his hat during Potions once?"

"All too well," said Lily, smirking a little at the memory of Potter's antlers. "He looked like a real prat then!"

"Yeah – Sirius never let him live it down, so – now, he's Prongs," said Remus, with another chuckle.

"So – Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," Lily reeled off. "Unusual nicknames – but they each have a good reason, I suppose."

"Yep," said Remus shortly, just as Mary gave a loud exclamation. Lily quickly turned her attention to the match. "Duff scores!" yelled Dorcas. "One-fifty to a hundred-and-ten in favour of Hufflepuff – my, Gryffindor's famed Chasers are being outplayed today!"

"Too right they are," said Mary sadly. "When they don't pass to each other, how can we hope to win?"

"And Johnson's seen the Snitch! Martin's on his tail – but Johnson's too far ahead! Dodges both Bludgers from Dunbar and Black – and catches it! Hufflepuff win!"

"No!" shouted Lily loudly, but it was drowned out by the Hufflepuffs in the stands cheering with great gusto as they poured out onto the pitch. To her annoyance, Slytherins and Ravenclaws were cheering too – presumably, they were happy that everyone now had an equal chance of winning the Cup, and point difference would be key.

She followed Mary, Remus and Peter onto the pitch dejectedly towards the team, in order to comfort Liz and Marlene – before stopping dead in her tracks. The pair in question were in the midst of an argument, and Marlene shoved Liz… Biting her lip, Lily sprinted towards them with Mary at her heels before it got too ugly – luckily, Potter and Adam Wright held Liz back, while Black and Olivia Dunbar did the same to Marlene. Donald Martin, the Seeker, watched on despairingly before turning his back on the scene and walking off towards the changing rooms, his head bowed.

"Liz!" Lily panted just as Potter and Adam released her best friend, who was red in face. She immediately put an arm around Liz's shoulders and began to lead her away, ignoring Potter completely. Liz didn't put up any sort of resistance, and began to cry quietly as they entered the Great Hall. Squeezing her friend's shoulder comfortingly, Lily took her to the place which would surely cheer Liz up – the kitchens. Gratefully accepting a steaming mug of hot chocolate and some freshly-made macaroons from several sympathetic house-elves, Lily and Liz remained there for nearly an hour, until Liz slowly regained her usual cheer. Thanking the kind house-elves, the pair of them went for a walk in the sun, finally sitting in the shade of the beech tree near the lake…

"I hate her," Liz burst out savagely. "Bloody – good-for-nothing – bi –"

"Enough," Lily cut across her firmly. "Forget about her, Liz. Just forget about her…"

Liz bit her lip, but fell silent. She settled her head on Lily's shoulder, and Lily sat rubbing her best friend's back, both lost in their own thoughts… Matters had really come to head that morning. Liz and Marlene's disinclination to work together had cost the team the match, leaving everything resting on the final game of the season. But worse still, Liz and Marlene were friends… _Had been_ , corrected her mind realistically. _Friends find a way to sort out their differences, don't they?_

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The fallout from Liz and Marlene's terrible teamwork affected everybody around them. They wouldn't stay in the same room for more than ten seconds (save for classes, of course), and when they came face to face, they either avoided making eye contact, or traded barbs. Well, traded was a bit of a misnomer… Liz usually came out on top during these exchanges, thanks to her snarky wit and sharp tongue.

The rest of the term passed by quickly, as did the Easter holidays; Lily and Liz opted to stay back at Hogwarts, as did most of the students in their year. The OWLs were right around the corner, and they had decided to get an early start. Lily used the holidays to revise Transfiguration right from first year, and by the end of the two-week break she was sure that she wouldn't do too badly on her OWL – she didn't dare hope for an 'O', but she'd be surprised if she didn't get an 'E'.

Liz, meanwhile, had opted to revise Potions and Herbology, and Lily had to admit that her best friend was doing quite well with her studies. Lily also studied History of Magic (Liz borrowed Lily's notes when the latter studied other subjects) and Arithmancy, before unwillingly turning to Divination – she was sure that she was going to give up the subject after that year, but she was going to at least attempt to do well… She was so busy that she simply contented herself with a firm 'no' every time Potter asked her out on a date (she had to marvel at his persistence; she'd said no to him at least four times after their last Quidditch match, and he was either very tenacious or very shameless). Occasionally, she studied in the library with Severus (joined by Liz, who just sat there silently, doing her work), and they discussed Potions and Charms. The other subjects she was fine with starting afterwards, and she was reasonably pleased with herself by the end of the holidays.

School restarted with the teachers simply revising all the subjects from first year onwards. The fifth-years had to plough through surprise tests (both theory and practical), difficult questions at random times in class, and several aspects of each subject that they'd previously studied but eventually forgotten. Lily was happy that she'd studied Transfiguration so thoroughly; she was able to answer questions at nearly the same frequency as Potter and Black, leaving Professor McGonagall thoroughly pleased with her.

Lily and Liz sat in the common room late one evening at the end of April, studying for a Charms test the next day. The common room was nearly deserted, with everyone else either studying or having gone to bed. It was nearly ten-thirty when she noticed Marlene climbing down the spiral staircase and hurrying straight towards them.

"Lily – have you seen Mary?" she asked fretfully as she reached them, panting slightly.

"Can you hear a shrill, annoying noise, Lily?" Liz asked immediately, and Marlene glared at her. "Stuff it, you – this is important," she snapped, before turning back to Lily. "Well? Have you?"

"No," said Lily, nonplussed. "We've been here for most of the evening."

Marlene cursed. "She said she was going for a night-time stroll with Roger Hathaway," she said, frowning. "She assured me she'd be back by ten – well, it's half-past now, and there's no sign of her. Oh, I'm thinking she's in trouble!" She began to wring her hands, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Calm down, Mar," said Lily soothingly, standing up. She quickly formulated a plan in her head. "Liz – go to the boys' dormitory, and get the Marauders – and Mark, too, if he's there –"

"No such luck – Jane isn't here, so most likely, Mark won't be, either –"

"OK, Marlene," Lily interrupted. "Liz – get the Marauders, divvy yourself into two groups, and start searching for Mary. If anyone asks you, tell them you have my permission – or Remus's. Got that?" Liz nodded once before setting off swiftly towards the spiral staircase.

"And you – let's go," said Lily, whipping out her wand. She was inwardly worried, but she couldn't show that emotion – Marlene looked distraught as it was, and she wouldn't handle it well if Lily mirrored her feelings. She had to be strong for Marlene's sake…

Together, they exited the common room, and began to search for Mary in earnest. Lily was hoping against hope that Mary was delayed while returning from her night-time stroll… _How she can be walking around with the OWLs so close is beyond me_ , she thought as she strode purposefully towards the Astronomy Tower, which was well-known to be a haunt for affectionate couples. It was empty, however, and she resumed her search with a rather panicky Marlene in tow.

"Look, Mar – if something's happened to her, she could be in the Hospital Wing," Lily said decisively as they continued their futile search. Marlene frowned. "Can't hurt to check," she said finally, and they set off towards the Hospital Wing… As they walked silently, Lily saw it as the perfect opportunity to have a chat with Marlene.

"Er – Marlene," she began, not quite sure where to start as Marlene's cobalt-blue eyes met her own, "Er – what exactly is your problem with Liz?"

Marlene gave a tired sigh. "Not now, Lily…" she said, but Lily was undeterred. "Spit it out," she said simply. "It's not my aim in life to be friends with two people who are being –"

"She's after Sirius!" Marlene burst out. "She keeps trying to chat him up –"

"Poppycock!" Lily exclaimed. "Liz would never –"

"Oh, yeah? Then why does she call him Blackie?"

They argued softly back and forth as they headed over to the Hospital Wing, with Lily staunchly defending Liz against Marlene's accusations. They went silent as they entered the long room with twenty-odd beds; currently, only four were occupied, by the looks of it. Madam Pomfrey was bent over someone who was lying still, and Lily and Marlene hastened over to her at once. Lily had a horrible feeling about who was in that bed.

"Mary!" Marlene exclaimed softly, her voice breaking…

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	48. Chapter 47

Thanks for the reviews, CB and Anna. Cheers!

 **Anna:** Sure, no problem! Please keep reviewing… Thanks!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-seven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Seven**

" **As always, James Potter saves the day!"**

"So – what happened? Did Madam Pomfrey say what spell it was?" Potter asked Lily in an undertone. They were standing near the entrance of the Hospital Wing. She shut her eyes tight for a second before opening them.

"It's a Curse – that makes the victim – I'm not quite sure how to put this," she said, trying to find the right words. Looking at the expectant faces of Liz, Potter, Remus and Peter, she sighed. "It's a Curse that makes someone – er, _void_ themselves – up to the point of dehydration."

There – she'd said it in the politest way possible. She looked away to Mary's sleeping form; Marlene and Black were sitting by her side, with the former crying and the latter comforting her. Lily unwillingly stole a glance at Liz and was relieved to see her best friend's usually stoic face showing no trace of jealousy – only distress at Mary's condition. If Mary hadn't been found when she had, it would've been horrible – it wouldn't have been too long before dehydration could've caused serious damage to her.

She had half-expected the Marauders to laugh at the effects of the Curse, but to their credit, their faces darkened, even Peter's. "What was she doing – after hours, that too?" the fat boy asked a little aggressively, surprising her.

"Madam Pomfrey said she was out with – a Prefect," she added quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings; she was sure by now that Peter liked Mary. She ploughed on, saying, "Anyway – they were ambushed by a gang of Slytherins – Madam Pomfrey told me that the Prefect understood that a second before he was Stunned. They were found by the two sixth-year Hufflepuff Prefects – him Stunned, and her, well –"

She struggled to find the words, and Liz came to her rescue. "They found her unconscious, and, er, _leaking_ from everywhere – there was piss and vomit and –"

"Picture's pretty clear, thanks," Potter interrupted, making a face. "Did they find out who it was?"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Mulciber," she spat out viciously. "Mary said as much before Madam Pomfrey gave her a Dreamless Sleep Potion – that's what Madam Pomfrey said, anyway."

"And by the time you and Marlene got here, Mary was already sleeping?" Remus asked.

"Yes," replied Lily. "Marlene stayed while I went to search for you all – wasn't too hard considering I found you within two minutes anyway – and Sirius and Liz arrived not long after that, thanks to your mirrors," she added to Potter, who smiled proudly. Shaking her head, she said sombrely, "Professor McGonagall was notified, and she checked on Mary too. In fact – we should all go back, it's nearly midnight…"

"Yes – and if we meet Mulciber and his goons on the way, so much the better for us, and so much the worse for them," said Potter tersely. There was no trace of his usual good humour.

"Watch it, Potter," she said sharply. "Don't go around picking fights."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted him. "Besides – you'll have to curse whatever's left of him after I'm through with him." She gritted her teeth.

"I always wonder why you get on her bad side, James," Remus said dryly, and that brought smiles out of everyone. It had been a stressful evening.

Madam Pomfrey came over to them and said, "All right, you lot – go on, go back your common room. Take them with you." She indicated Black and a still-sobbing Marlene. "Mary will be just fine," she added kindly. Then she shook her head. "Poor thing – she may get teased mercilessly because of this."

"We'll just award detention to whoever does that," said Lily firmly, and Remus seconded her. Lily knew that kind, gentle and sensitive Mary would find the teasing difficult to handle, and she intended to do something about it. Madam Pomfrey nodded and walked back to (presumably) tell Black and Marlene to leave.

"C'mon, then," said Liz, "Let's go… With luck, we might run into Mulciber and his cronies."

"Yes – and if we do, I'm going to curse him into oblivion," said Potter firmly. " _After_ you hex him, of course," he added quickly, catching Lily's eyes. She gave him a satisfied smirk, and he smirked back at her uncertainly.

"You're going to have to get in line," said a heavy, female voice; Marlene and Black had come up to them. Marlene's eyes were red and puffy. Lily squeezed her hand and said, "Don't worry – she's going to be fine." Marlene nodded, and the little group set off towards their common room. _That prick_ , thought Lily angrily as she walked. _I'm going to hex him so badly that he's going to go crying to his Mummy…_

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As things turned out, however, Lily didn't need to hex Mulciber, for Marlene got there first. She used the _Levicorpus_ Spell on him (which was widely growing in popularity; indeed, Lily had had to tell people off for hoisting others upside-down by their ankles with alarming frequency) and proceeded to single-handedly Body-Bind the rest of his gang – Avery, Rosier and Wilkes. Mary had then proceeded to viciously punch Mulciber on the nose until she broke it. The account of this tale had shocked Lily; violence was completely out of character for Mary. _Then again, if you're forced to have a poo like there's no tomorrow, that may just make you violent_ , she thought wryly.

Mary had also developed an excellent way to deal with the teasing. After being taunted by a few younger Slytherins, she'd responded by threatening to 'spew' on them at that very moment, causing them to look at her in horror and run away. Lily had to admit that Mary's so-perceived shamelessness of the entire affair was indeed effective; the teasing died down quickly, perhaps accelerated by her retaliation against Mulciber – that appeared to have earned the respect of the student body as a whole.

"So – how did you come up with that whole – 'I'll spew in your mouth' bit?" Lily asked Mary, chuckling as they sat in the common room, deep into revision. It had been two days since the incident; Mary had been awarded a detention for breaking Mulciber's nose, something she'd said was 'worth it'. Mulciber had been given a week's worth of detentions for his use of that terrible Curse.

"It wasn't me – I was mortified to walk around the school, really," said Mary, blushing a little. But then James gave me the idea to not only ignore the teasing – but to _own_ it, so that no one could hurt me with it. And I did – it was tough, but I did, and it worked!"

"Wow – reverse psychology, eh?" Lily said, grinning, and Mary nodded cheerfully. Then she sighed a little. "I'm going to bed – Madam Pomfrey said I may feel tired for a week or so, thanks to my near-dehydration… G'Night," she added, and gave them a little wave. Lily and Liz nodded back at her, and she made her way up the spiral staircases slowly.

"You ready?" Lily asked Liz, who gave her a terse nod. Lily had been able to persuade Liz to tell Marlene the truth about her feelings towards Black – that she wasn't trying to chat up to him, as Marlene thought. Lily had also gotten Marlene to agree to speak to Liz. She wasn't particularly happy with her role as the peacemaker, but this stupid feud had gone on long enough. _In these dark and difficult times, friends should stick together_ , she thought firmly.

The approaching figure of Marlene made Lily stand up. Marlene had a bag slung on her shoulders; it looked like she'd spent the evening in the library, studying. She looked exhausted, but gave Lily a little smile before coming up to them. "I'll see you later," said Lily, giving Liz a pointed nod. Her best friend looked at her beseechingly, but Lily stood firm; this had to be a one-on-one between Liz and Marlene, this was as far as she was going to go. Nodding encouragingly at Liz once again, she walked over to the window. With luck, everyone would be friends in a few minutes…

The full moon was bright in the sky, and Lily remembered with a pang that Remus was currently under the Whomping Willow, in his transformed state. She shook her head – how he dealt with his condition so effectively was beyond her. With another pang, she remembered how long ago he'd told her that he would be unavailable for their patrol that night – she would be going with Gavin Johnson instead, Remus having switched with the Hufflepuff Prefect three days before. Was that what Remus had to do? Did his entire life revolve around the full-moon nights each month? _'Course it did_ , she thought grimly.

Her thoughts went to the recent incident with Mary. She couldn't believe, for the life of her, how Severus could still be friends with someone like Mulciber. According to Mary, it had been Avery's idea to use that Curse. They'd stood laughing as poor Mary was forced to – Lily closed her eyes in disgust. _I'm going to talk to Sev_ , she decided firmly. _Soon…_

"That's it! I've had _enough_ of your lies!"

The shrill voice interrupted her thoughts, and she wheeled around to see Marlene standing up, her cheeks flushed. "I've had enough of you, Liz – just leave me alone!" she screamed, and with that, she slung her bag on her shoulders and stormed out of the common room. Lily quickly made her way to Liz, her spirits low… _Should've seen that coming_ , she thought exasperatedly.

"What happened?" she asked Liz gently, plopping herself down in the armchair next to her. Liz snorted and snapped, "I asked for her kidney and she said no – what do you _think_ happened?"

"Well – you tried," said Lily delicately, choosing to disregard Liz's comment. Liz gave her an indifferent shrug, but Lily wasn't fooled; beneath that stoic exterior, she could tell that Liz was upset.

"Hey – don't worry," said Lily, patting her best friend's hand, "I have rounds in a few minutes… – I'll search for her then, OK? I'll talk to her."

"As you please," said Liz stonily, "But I am not going to talk to her – unless she comes and apologises to me. I've had it with her!"

The door of the common room opened at that moment, and Lily looked up hopefully, thinking that Marlene had returned. Her spirits sank, however, as Sirius Black entered instead. He spotted them, paused, before making his way towards them slowly. As he came closer, however, Lily noticed something odd – his face was pale and sweaty, he was panting slightly, and his expression was distraught. He threw himself in the sofa next to their armchairs and leaned backwards, his eyes closed.

"Er – Black? You OK?" Liz asked him tentatively, but he didn't respond.

"Black – what's the matter?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows with concern – but Black remained fixed in his spot like a statue, giving no indication that he'd heard her or Liz.

"Blackie?" Liz asked him gently, sitting next to him on the sofa and placing her arm on his shoulder, something Lily was sure would be very difficult for her to do… "What is it? What happened?"

Her touch seemed to bring him back to reality, and he faced her, a haunted look on his face. "I – I –" he began, but he couldn't get another word out; to Lily's shock, he buried his face in his hands and his body shook with sobs.

"Sirius – what's the matter?" Liz asked him urgently, and pulled him into an embrace immediately. He sobbed incoherently, and she stroked his hair and patted his back absently, quite at a loss as to what was happening. Lily marvelled at how well Liz was holding her poise… She immediately sat down on Black's other side, and squeezed his shoulder awkwardly. "It's OK – it's OK," she said, regardless of not knowing the reason that had gotten him to cry. She quickly cast a _Muffliato_ around them; satisfied, she patted his back gently. Lily and Liz continued to comfort Black until his sobs subsided into sniffles; in a few minutes, he had composed himself enough to look at them with tear-filled grey eyes. He drew back, looking distraught and a little embarrassed at the same time.

"What happened, Sirius?" Liz asked him delicately.

He looked sideways at Lily, who nodded encouragingly. _Come on, tell us, Black… What's the matter?_ she thought, willing him to give them an explanation.

"I cocked up," he said bleakly. "I – I didn't – _think_ – and because of that, I've destroyed my friendship with the three people whom I care about the most in the world."

Lily and Liz exchanged a confused look, but before they could say anything more, the portrait hole opened again to admit James Potter, with Peter Pettigrew at his heels, panting. Potter spotted the three of them, and to Lily's astonishment, he shot Black a look of pure, unadulterated fury. He strode towards them swiftly, and stood right in front of them, his face livid.

"James, I –" began Black, but Potter grabbed him by the front of his robes and held him upright so that the two of them were almost nose to nose. Peter gave a little squeak and tried to loosen Potter's grip on Black's robes, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

"You effing – stinking – _git_ ," Potter hissed dangerously, placing undue emphasis on every word. A vein was pulsing in his temple, and his teeth were bared. "Do you have any – any idea, of what you've done?"

"James – easy there, James," Peter began, but Potter shoved him aside roughly with one hand. "Stay out of this, Pete," he snapped – but Liz had had enough. "Get away from him, James," she said softly, in a voice of forced calm, standing up. "Let him go."

"You – are – you're _dead_ to me!" Potter snarled. He flung Black onto the sofa with full force, and the latter stayed there, looking utterly devastated.

"Potter!" exclaimed Lily, shocked, and he turned to face her. "Control yourself, Potter –"

There was fire in his eyes. "Stay out of this, Evans – it's none of your concern," he said roughly, and stalked off towards the boys' dormitories. "I – I'll talk to him," said Peter, looking visibly upset, and followed Potter up the stairs. Lily just stood there, astonished – what had happened?

"Sirius?"

Liz's whisper brought Lily back to the present. She turned to see Black rise from the sofa, his shoulders slumped. "I – I'll see you later," he choked out, and stood up, but Liz grabbed his hand. "No, you don't," she said firmly, "Not until you tell us what happened. Sit down – now."

The force in her voice made him obey, and he sat back down next to them. "Look – if I'm going to tell you anything, you must promise me – _promise me_ that you wouldn't be furious. I feel terrible about what happened, and you can't hate myself more than I do right now," he said hollowly.

"Why would we hate you?" Lily asked him curiously.

Black turned to her. "You especially," he said, and that confused her even more. Whatever did he mean?

"Explain, then," said Liz. Black nodded and started talking.

XXXXX Sirius's POV XXXXX

The evening sun had almost set as Sirius and Peter walked along the courtyard, waiting for James. It would be night soon, and he thought sympathetically of poor Remus, just helplessly waiting for the moon to rise. However, something distracted him… "Hey, isn't that Snivellus?" he said as he spotted two boys ahead of them. Peter squinted from next to him, and replied, "Yeah – that's him, all right. C'mon – let's leave him be."

"Don't be such a coward, Wormtail – let's have some fun," said Sirius, a little excitedly, but Peter remained resolute. "C'mon, Padfoot – let's go somewhere else," he said, and began to tug him away. _What's with Peter?_ he thought, annoyed. _It'll be two against two, not like we're at a disadvantage…_ But then he paid closer attention to Snape's companion, and felt a dreadful blast of recognition – it was Regulus. This explained why Peter was trying so hard to get him away…

"Reggie!" he yelled, and darted towards them at top speed. "Get away from him!" He heard footsteps and realized that Peter was following him, too. He skidded to a halt in front of them, and drew his wand; Snape did the same, with a twisted sneer on his face.

"What're you doing, Reg?" said Sirius roughly. "Why're you hanging around with – with _him_?" He shot Snape a look of pure loathing.

"How is that your concern, Sirius?" Regulus asked him defiantly. "Just like you've chosen your company – I've chosen mine."

"Anyone is better company than _Snivellus_ ," said Sirius derisively, and Snape's eyes flashed. "Watch it, Black, or you'll pay!" he snarled.

"I'll decide that, Sirius," said Regulus, looking at him stonily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework… See you later, Severus," he added, and began to walk away.

Sirius was crushed. _What're you doing, Reg?_ he thought desperately. His fears were starting to get a hold of him again… He was losing Regulus, losing him to their parents, the other Slytherins, to Snape – and if he didn't do something about it soon, Reg would be lost to – he gritted his teeth – the Death Eaters, and to Lord Voldemort…

"Stay away from him, Snape," he growled, but Snape continued to sneer. "He and I get along quite well, actually," he said with relish, "Regulus even says that I'm like the elder brother he never had."

The words pierced Sirius like a knife. How dare he!

"Don't – don't lie, Snape," said Peter from behind him, his voice nervous but steady.

"You're such a bloody coward, Snape," Sirius snapped, venom in his words. "You only think of your own miserable skin."

Snape's face contorted with anger. "Don't you dare call me a coward, Black," he retorted. "You know nothing about me."

A sudden inspiration hit Sirius, no doubt driven by the hatred and anger he felt for the greasy-haired boy standing in front of him, compounded by the fact that his own brother preferred his company over Sirius's own. Here was a chance to have some fun with Snape… "Not a coward, eh?" he said savagely. "Tell you what, Snape, if you think you're so brave, why don't you go to the Whomping Willow tonight? That knot at its base – just press it, and the tree freezes. Oh, didn't know that, did you?" he added, in response to Snape's confused look. "Not so smart as you think, are you, Snivelly? You may want to explore what lies below the Willow, too – nah, you can't do that, you're too cowardly, aren't you?"

"I may be a lot of things, Black – but I'm no coward," retorted Snape. "Now, clear off before I hex you!"

"Ooh, big words, Snivelly," taunted Sirius, but he began to retreat slowly. He could barely contain his glee; Snape had fallen for the trick! He and Peter quickly retreated to the castle.

"That should teach old Snivelly a lesson," he said cheerfully, as they walked towards the common room. "Always trying to get us in trouble – that nasty little –"

"Sirius," said Peter, and stopped dead. Sirius halted too, surprised to hear the how harsh Peter sounded. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Peter continued, failing to disguise the fearful quaver under all that roughness.

"I reckon we've given Snivelly a right old scare, Pete," Sirius replied, nonplussed. "Really, if you were any thicker –"

But to his surprise, Peter smacked him on the head. Sirius staggered back. "Ow! What was that for, you prat?"

But Peter was staring at him in horror, all harshness gone. "Sirius! You know that Moony is in there right now! What if Snape gets all the way to him, eh? What if he sees him? What if he figures out Moony's secret?"

Comprehension dawned over Sirius. In his moment of glee, he hadn't considered these alarming possibilities – one more of which Peter voiced out in a whisper.

"What if Moony harms him, Sirius? What then?"

"Shite," Sirius swore. "We have to find Prongs." He set off into a sprint, and Peter followed closely.

"Damn right we do," panted Peter sharply as they ran. "You bloody fool! You have no sense at all – no sense!"

Sirius couldn't voice out a reply to that, so he concentrated on running. Horrible thoughts went through his head – what if Moony slashed Snivellus so badly – that Snivellus – Sirius swallowed – died? Would he be sent to Azkaban? Would his secret come out to the Wizarding World? His life would be undoubtedly ruined – and it would all be his, Sirius's, fault. Sirius shut his eyes tight for a second. How could he have been such a fool? He'd only intended to scare Snape – but, as Peter rightly pointed out, his joke had gone all to pot.

"There he is!" Peter said breathlessly, and the two of them skidded to a halt in front of James, who had the silvery Invisibility Cloak sticking out of his pocket. "What happened?" James asked. "You look like you've seen Voldemort!" He laughed at his own joke, but neither of them smiled.

"James – something bad happened," wheezed Peter. "Tell him, Sirius – now!"

And so, with a terrible pang of fear and shame, Sirius relayed to James what had happened in the courtyard. James's face twisted into a mask of anger – and a look of utmost fear came into his eyes.

"What – have – you – _done_?" he hissed slowly, his tone vitriolic. Sirius took a step back and raised his hands. "I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking –"

"Clearly!" snapped James. "C'mon – let's go! Maybe Snape hasn't gone inside yet – maybe we can still stop him!" And with that, James sprinted in the direction to the courtyard. He and Peter regarded each other for a second before dashing off after him.

They caught up with James just as he came up to the tree. "I just saw someone go in," he said bleakly. "It must've been Snape – that greasy hair is a giveaway!"

"Dammit," Sirius explained, and held his head in his hands. "What now, James?"

James seemed to be furiously working on a plan. "Right – right," he said firmly, "Pete, go and get Dumbledore, pronto! Tell him – what happened, and to come here as fast as possible. Go! Now!" Peter nodded and obeyed, scuttling off to find the Headmaster.

James shot Sirius an enraged look before saying, "I'm going in there. You – stay here."

"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "You – you're _insane_! You can't go in there alone – I'm coming with you!"

"No – you've caused enough damage already," said James, his tone caustic. The words hurt Sirius like a sword. "Stay here – if I don't return within twenty minutes – follow me!" And with that, before Sirius could stop him, James rushed off. He froze the knot with a twig, and vanished into the passage below.

Sirius sat on the ground, adrenaline still pumping through him. The rashness of his decision made him feel sick with shame. How could he have done that? Hadn't he known that Remus – in his werewolf form – would be incapable of recognizing friend from foe? What if he attacked both Snape – and James? What if – he couldn't bear to think about it – someone died? Remus would never be able to forgive himself. He prayed and prayed that Peter would get here soon, with Dumbledore – and that James and Snape would be all right. _Please… Let them be OK…_

Time seemed to have come to a standstill. Every minute was an eternity, and Sirius began to pace. Why had James left him behind? Surely he could've been of help… Would James reach Snape in time? Sure, he was faster – but Snape had a head start. It didn't take more than twenty minutes to reach the Shrieking Shack. If they ran, fifteen would be more than enough –

Ten minutes passed, then fifteen. The wait was agonizing – there was still no sign of James or Snape… Finally, just as his watch hit the twenty-minute mark, he spied two people coming out from below the Whomping Willow. He whooped in mingled relief and happiness as the two boys quickly got to their feet, and sprinted as fast as they could towards him, away from the static branches, which would start hitting them any moment.

James and Snape came to a halt right in front of them. They had a few scratches on their arms, and there was a gash in Snape's cheek, but they were both otherwise unharmed. "You – what the _hell_ – d'you think you're playing at?" panted Snape, trying to catch his breath, his face contorted with rage. "You buffoons – you tried to kill me! That does it – you're all going to be expelled – I'm going to tell Dumbledore what you did!"

"Tell me what, Mr Snape?" said a calm voice, and Sirius wheeled around to see Albus Dumbledore standing behind them, with Peter panting next to him. Dumbledore's face was expressionless – but his body seemed to radiate heat, rather like an aura – for a moment, Sirius realized that Voldemort was right to fear the most powerful wizard of all time.

"I think – that we all need to have a chat in my office," continued Dumbledore evenly. He waved his wand, and James's and Snape's cuts healed at once. Dumbledore continued, "I have heard a most extraordinary tale from Mr Pettigrew – I wish to hear what has happened from you all, too. Come on."

He began to walk back towards the castle, and they all followed mutely. Sirius didn't dare look at James, who was shaking with fury. Snape walked ahead of them all, right at Dumbledore's heels. Peter kept shooting them timid glances, as though worried about what would happen next. Well, he wasn't alone… Sirius was anxious, too – and if he was honest with himself, quite close to panic.

"Pear Drop," came Dumbledore's voice, and with a jolt, Sirius realized that they were there. They all sat down on chairs that Dumbledore magically conjured, and the Headmaster took his place from across them. "Well, Mr Pettigrew – thank you for bringing this matter to me on such short notice. Ten points to Gryffindor – you may leave." Peter nodded timidly, and left the room with a last look at James and the rest.

"Well – this incident seems to start with you, Mr Black – so why don't you explain," he said, and for the first time, Sirius heard an undercurrent of anger in his voice. He shrank back. "Yes, sir," he said in a small voice, and narrated what had happened; how seeing Snape with Regulus had caused him to snap and say something with the intention of getting back at Snape by scaring him. Snape made a noise of protest at his tale, but quieted down at once after a look from Dumbledore. Sirius couldn't bear to make eye contact with the Headmaster, so he spoke to the table instead.

"All right, thank you, Mr Black," said Dumbledore when Sirius had come to the end of his narrative. "This is a most serious thing that you have done – though you will be pleased to see that no lasting harm has been done through your actions; Mr Potter and Mr Snape are quite all right." Sirius couldn't bear to look at them; he kept his head down. "I also know that your real intent was to scare, and not to kill, or harm, or maim in any way. Therefore, you will not be expelled." A wave of relief shot through Sirius, and Snape let out another noise of protest. Dumbledore ignored him. "However, the seriousness of your actions needs to be impressed upon you. Detention to you – every evening until the week before the Ordinary Wizarding Levels." At that, Sirius looked up in horror. Dumbledore continued gravely, "One hundred points from Gryffindor, and you are here, henceforth, banned from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, until the end of the year." James took in a sharp breath at that, but Dumbledore took no notice. "Now – I suggest you apologize to everyone here – following which, you may go."

Sirius stood up. He had never felt so bad in his entire life. He looked at Dumbledore and whispered, "I'm sorry, Professor." Turning to James, he said, "James, mate, I'm so sorry." But James looked away, a deadly frown on his face. Sirius couldn't help it; his eyes filled with tears. He blinked them away and turned to Snape instead. A ripple of anger went through him, but it was short-lived; this time, at least, it was his own fault. "I'm sorry – Snape," he said evenly, before turning away from Snape's stupid face, which was full of anger and loathing. He looked at James pleadingly, but the latter was still refusing to look at him. A feeling of despair enveloped him.

"I'll see you – later," he managed to choke out, before stumbling out of Dumbledore's office. He was barely paying attention to where he was going, and his mind was in a turmoil – he collided with someone just as he turned a corner. "Woah," said a familiar voice – it was Peter. He must have lingered back after being sent on his way.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Peter asked him, but he couldn't bear to repeat it. He shrugged in response, but Peter wouldn't give up so easily. "C'mon – what did he say?" Sirius sighed, then narrated what had transpired. "I'm sorry, Pete," he said in conclusion, and Peter patted his back comfortingly. "Don't worry about it, mate – these things happen," he said, his tone flat. "You didn't intend to kill or harm Snape – just scare him. Dumbledore took that into account, didn't he? He's not expelling you, is he? That's a huge relief, mate!"

"It's not him I'm worried about," Sirius said bitterly. "It's James – and Remus…" He buried his face in his hands. "You saw him, Pete – James is livid right now. I don't think he'll even want to be friends with me anymore… And _Remus_ , Pete! _Remus!_ How do you think he's going to react when we tell him that he nearly killed two people tonight? He already feels guilty as it is – he doesn't need this! He's going to be furious!"

"Don't worry – I'll talk to them both, Sirius," Peter replied, his voice reassuring. "I understand why you did it – I'll talk to them."

"You'd do that?" Sirius asked him hopefully. Peter grinned. "Of course, mate – we're the Marauders! We have each other's backs!" he said with conviction, and a ghost of a grin appeared on Sirius's face. "Thanks, Wormtail," he said sincerely, and Peter clapped him on the back. "Now, go – best you stay out of James's sight. I'll stick around – see if I can get him to cool down a little by the time we get to the common room…" His voice trailed off, and Sirius caught the note of doubt.

"All right," he said nonetheless. "See you in a bit!" Peter waved, and Sirius began to walk swiftly towards the common room. He quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself to avoid being noticed by anyone else, mentally thanking Flitwick for teaching it that year; he didn't want to be the target of tricky questions.

As he walked, however, the hope that had risen in his chest began to fade. Would Peter really be able to talk to James? Would he be able to persuade James to forgive him? Sirius didn't think it was likely – he knew James better than most people, and his best friend was a man of principle. It was unlikely that James would perceive Sirius's actions as nothing short of betrayal – betrayal to him, to Peter, and most of all – to Remus.

He was feeling dejected once again as he climbed into the common room through the portrait hole. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He was bursting to tell someone what had happened – how it had been his fault, and how he was repenting it. Despair consumed him completely – who could he talk to? He didn't know if Marlene knew Remus's secret, and he wasn't particularly inclined to ask her. He spied Evans and Hunt sitting in front of the fire, talking about something – with a jolt, he realized that _they_ knew. He could talk to them…

XXXXX End of Sirius's POV XXXXX

"And that's it," he finished, looking away from them both. "That's why James is refusing to talk to me, and Peter, bless him, is trying to calm him down. I understand James's anger – but it doesn't make it less easy, does it?"

Lily simply stared at him. She couldn't believe what had happened – Severus had gone into the Whomping Willow. He had nearly been killed – most likely he'd even figured out the truth about Remus. What was going to happen to Remus now? Would he get expelled? She couldn't bear to think like that. Remus was her friend… Her friend…

And yet, Severus was, too. He had tried to tell her several times that there was something weird about Remus – but she had been evasive every time he'd broached the subject. She had a feeling that he would drop even more hints from now on… Why did he go around trying to get the Marauders into trouble? She also understood how Black felt about his brother – she was not exactly on the best of terms with Petunia, but she would definitely be protective of her…

And Potter. Potter hadn't given it a single thought as he'd darted into the tunnel behind Severus. He had put his life in mortal danger to save someone he loathed with all his heart. Would Severus had done the same for Potter? She wanted to say yes – but in her heart of hearts, she knew that it was a lie.

Severus wouldn't have gone to rescue Potter…

"I'm – I'm sorry, Lily," said Black, looking at her pleadingly. "I know he's your friend –"

"It's – it's OK, Black," she said, and even gave him a smile, much to his and Liz's surprise. "He shouldn't have gone into the tunnel after you'd provoked him like that… It was as much his own fault as it was yours. The only one who wasn't at fault – apart from Peter, that is – is Potter." Black's face registered astonishment. "Potter – he – he saved Sev, didn't he? Risking his own neck, that too –"

"Er – yes," said Black. "If it hadn't been for him – Snape would be dead, I'd be expelled, and Remus – Remus would've probably been carted off to Azkaban." His tone was wretched once again. Liz patted his arm comfortingly.

"Well – as always, James Potter saves the day," Lily said dryly.

"Thanks, you both – you heard me out, and you don't hate me," said Black sincerely, his tone relieved. "I never meant to –"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, Blackie," said Liz soothingly. "Now, look, you're upset – maybe you should just go up to bed…"

"You're kidding, right? James is there!" exclaimed Black. Liz chuckled and said, "Fine – you can stay here, then – this sofa is pretty comfortable." Black seemed to accept this, but as Liz made to get up, he grabbed her hand. "No – could you stay, please?" he asked, and his expression was so pleading that Liz relented. "Fine – but only for tonight – and only until you sleep off." Black nodded, and Liz settled back down on the sofa with him. Lily stood up.

"I have to go – Remus switched patrols with Gavin Johnson for tonight, I have to meet him in –" she glanced at her watch, "—dammit, five minutes! I'll see you later – you'll be OK, won't you?"

"Yes," said Liz firmly. "Now, go…"

Lily nodded, but came closer and smacked Black hard on the head. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, grimacing. "That was for being a bloody fool," she said severely. Liz chuckled as Lily quickly exited the common room, not wanting to be late.

Outside, however, she slowed down to a trot. She couldn't believe the events of the night… Black, telling _Severus_ , of all people – how to get to Remus, a werewolf who would undoubtedly go insane at the smell of human blood. Severus was definitely curious and foolhardy enough to take Black at his words and investigate, and would most certainly have met his maker if it hadn't been for Potter…

She owed him, she realized. He'd saved her friend, though there was no love lost between the two of them. Potter may be an annoying, arrogant bully, but he had still saved Severus without so much as turning a hair. Well, he wasn't exactly short on courage…

"Sorry, Gavin," she said apologetically to the Hufflepuff as she came up to him. He nodded and smiled. "No sweat, Lily," he replied. "Shall we?" She smiled back at him, and they set off for rounds together, hoping that she would find Marlene…

Almost a couple of uneventful hours later, they were near the Astronomy Tower when Lily spied someone standing near the balustrade, silhouetted against the bright moonlight. The figure looked familiar… "Gavin, we're nearly done, right?" she asked the Hufflepuff, who hadn't noticed what she had. He nodded, and she said, "D'you mind going back to your common room alone? We're at the Astronomy Tower –"

"Say no more," said Gavin, grinning knowingly. Lily frowned as she realized the conclusion he'd drawn. "Ew, no, nothing like that!" she exclaimed, frowning with distaste, but Gavin laughed and said, "Enjoy your night, Lily – I was never here!" He mock-saluted her, and hurried away, smiling broadly.

 _Boys_ , she thought exasperatedly as she made her way inside the tower, close to the balustrade where the figure stood. She had a fair idea who it was, and her suspicion was confirmed when she noted the tall, thin person with round glasses and untidy hair.

"Evening, Potter," she said as she joined him next to the balustrade, causing him to jump in alarm. His face relaxed when he saw her. "All right, Evans?" he asked, but the smile on his face was forced. "What're you doing here?"

"A question I might ask you, considering you're the one out of bounds," Lily pointed out. "Well, Potter?"

His brow clouded over. "Nothing – just thinking, you know – about stuff," he said slowly, gazing at the bright full moon.

"Stuff involving Sirius Black?"

He whirled around quickly. "What?" he asked warily.

"I heard what happened, Potter," she said softly. "What Black did was stupid, vicious, and foolhardy. Bloody fool – he almost got Severus killed!" She paused, then continued, "Unless – that was what he inten –"

"No," he cut across her swiftly, his tone harsh. "He didn't – Sirius wouldn't –"

"I know that," she interrupted, a little triumphantly. "I wanted to see if you would defend him – which you did. I think you and I both know what that means."

"And what would that be?" he asked her disbelievingly.

"That you're not nearly as angry with him – as you think you are," she said gently. "There's no doubt that what he did was wrong, and that he deserves to be punished for it – but don't you think that his friends should rally by his side during this time?"

"Rally?" he laughed hollowly. "You're kidding, right? The stupid git – he put Remus in jeopardy! It took some mighty persuasion from Dumbledore to make Sni – Snape, swear that he wouldn't tell anyone about Remus…"

Lily drew in a sharp breath. "So – you pulled him back?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "I did what I had to do," he said dispassionately. "Snape may not be my favourite person, but I wouldn't wish that sort of fate on anyone – even my worst enemy. It was all I could do to rain spells on Moony – took a leaf out of your book, Evans," he added, with a ghost of a grin. "A Light Intensifying Spell, followed by an Impediment Jinx that failed, so I resorted to keeping him distracted – Snape ran ahead of me, and I used a final Intensifying Spell just as we came to the exit of that passage. It was a close shave," he added, shuddering slightly, his gaze going skyward once again.

Lily nodded solemnly, listening to his tale. While she was glad that no one had been hurt, she went cold with dread imagining the harm this would do to Remus, with Severus now knowing his secret. Maybe she could persuade him to keep his mouth shut, too – but that would mean admitting to him that she knew Remus's secret, something she wasn't prepared to do. And despite all the bad blood between them, Potter had still saved Severus's skin…

She turned to him. "Potter," she said softly, and he turned to look at her. Without thinking, without meaning to, she pulled him into a tight embrace. He staggered backwards in surprise, before returning her hug. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, her voice thick. She felt tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't believe that this arrogant bully who continually annoyed her by asking her out roughly twice a week, had saved the life of her oldest friend…

"No problem – all in a day's work," he whispered back, and they broke apart. Lily quickly wiped her eyes and avoided his gaze, saying, "I ought to dock points off you for being out of bounds after hours, but considering what went down tonight… I suppose I'll allow it."

"So, that's my prize for playing the hero? No points lost?" Potter asked, his tone teasing.

She didn't know what made her do it. Perhaps it was his actions tonight, or the relief that Severus hadn't been killed, her dread regarding how Remus might react, or her trepidation about how strained things were between Liz and Marlene… Or perhaps a combined effect of them all. It had been an eventful night.

Whatever the reason, she said mischievously, "Nah, that's not all." Standing a little on tiptoe, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

There was a second's silence where she looked anywhere but at him. She didn't know how he was going to react, and she prayed that he wouldn't take the wrong idea…

"If that's the prize, I'd save Snape every single day," he declared, and Lily laughed out loud, relieved. "Leave him alone – and I'll consider it, Potter," she said playfully.

"Oh, come on – you always ask the impossible," he said, throwing up his hands in mock despair. She chuckled.

"The good things in life never come easy," she replied sagely, and he rolled his eyes. There was a silence, following which he said, "We should get back – it's late…" He pulled a silvery Cloak from his pocket. "C'mon, get under here – avoid the teachers…"

"I'm a Prefect," she said, but he shook his head. "You too aren't supposed to be out after eleven – the night Mary was attacked, it was a special case. But now – it's eleven-thirty. Come here…"

Sighing, she obliged. The two of them began to walk slowly to the common room.

"Incidentally, did you see Marlene?" she asked Potter conversationally. "She left the common room in a huff, and by the time I left for rounds, she hadn't returned."

"Yep, I did," said Potter. "I – er, I didn't feel like talking to Sirius, so I just grabbed the Cloak and went out for a stroll – I ran into Marlene in a few minutes. I startled her," he added mischievously, and she laughed. "I offered the Cloak to her, but she declined – said she'd rather use the Disillusionment Charm to avoid detection. She performed that on herself and left – she would've gotten back safe; I wasn't very far from the common room to begin with."

Lily nodded in relief. "That's good to hear," she said fervently, "I didn't encounter Marlene throughout rounds, and I was starting to get worried."

He nodded in understanding. "Yup – especially considering what happened to Mary a few weeks ago," he said darkly, and a ripple of anger went through Lily.

"So, Sirius and Liz seemed rather cosy," Potter said, casually changing the subject. "When I left the common room, they were sitting quite close to each other – too close, in fact," he added. Lily knew what he was hinting at, but she wasn't going to help him get there. "Is that so?" she asked, her tone even.

"Yup – so, tell me – does Hunt like him?" he asked baldly. Once again, she marvelled at his ability to get to the point so quickly. "Er – she, er –" she replied, wanting to protect Liz but unable to lie at the same time. "That's OK – don't tell me if you don't want to," said Potter quickly. "Though, you did give me my answer…"

 _Dammit_ , she thought. This wasn't going to win her any favours from Liz.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her I know," said Potter reassuringly, and Lily relaxed at once; she and Potter were often at loggerheads, but she still trusted him with this… _It's because he's Liz's friend, too – and he doesn't want to hurt her_ , she thought.

"Thanks," she said simply, and they walked slowly to the common room. They threw the Cloak off once the portrait hole appeared, gave the password, and stepped in. Lily immediately began to walk towards the fireplace, but stopped short as she witnessed Black sleeping peacefully with his head in Liz's lap, with her best friend sitting upright, eyes closed. She was evidently dozing.

"Er – 'Night, Evans, I said," said Potter from behind her, and she quickly focused on him. Apparently, he'd already wished her goodnight, but she hadn't been paying attention… "When did this happen?" she said in a low, astonished voice.

"Ooh, I doubt if Marlene would've been too happy about this," Potter responded, his eyebrows raised. Lily shuddered slightly. "Er – shouldn't we wake them up?" she said awkwardly, but Potter shook his head. "I'd rather not speak to Sirius tonight," he said firmly, "So if you don't mind, I'm calling it a night. Stupid Sirius," he added savagely, "It's his bloody fault that Moony's alone tonight…"

"What?" Lily asked him, surprised. "Isn't that always the case?"

Potter gave a little start. "Er – yeah, of course," he said hurriedly, "Anyway – been a long day – 'Night, Evans." He gave her a half-hearted, awkward wave.

"Good night, Potter," she replied, still looking at him with her eyebrows raised, and he began to walk towards the spiral staircase that led upwards to their dormitories. Whatever had he meant? "Potter," she called again, and he paused. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

He turned to face her, but his visage was inscrutable. He simply nodded once before climbing the staircase out of sight. _There it is_ , she thought. The other side of James Potter… He hadn't made a single indicative or flirtatious remark even after she'd pecked him on the cheek that night. This version of James Potter was the one she'd have readily been friends with – the kind, brave person, fiercely loyal to his friends – sensitive, thoughtful and upright – and unflinching in the face of mortal peril.

Lily shook herself. Would she really have been friends with him? Obviously, she'd have had a real job keeping her friendship with Severus intact – after all, Severus hated Potter as much as he liked Potions. _Potter made it easy for me_ , she thought wryly. _He struts around like he owns the place, all arrogant and conceited… That kind of behaviour isn't going to win him any sort of brownie points with me._

She approached Liz, and tapped her shoulder gently. "Liz?" she whispered. Liz jerked awake at once, and looked around in trepidation. "It's OK – it's just me, Lily," said Lily reassuringly. "What're you doing here – you should go to bed, c'mon."

Liz shook her head and indicated the still-sleeping form of Black. "I – er – I think I'll stay here tonight," she said, and Lily nodded in understanding. "OK," she said, "And by the way – did you see Marlene?"

At that, Liz closed her eyes tightly. To Lily's amazement, there were tears in her best friend's eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, squeezing Liz's shoulder sympathetically, and sat down in the armchair next to the sofa. "Is there anything I can do?" she said kindly. Her heart went out to how Liz was feeling at that moment.

Liz shook her head and said, "I'll be all right, Lily. You should sleep – go." Lily nodded and squeezed Liz's hand comfortingly. "We'll talk about this in the morning," she whispered. Liz nodded, and gave a little sniff. Giving her a reassuring hug and patting her head gently, Lily bade her goodnight and began to walk up to her own dormitory, her thoughts in a turmoil.

The dormitory was silent when she entered. She changed into her pyjamas and got into bed, vowing to talk to Liz – and Marlene (she felt a stab of anger) first thing in the morning. But as she drifted off to sleep, her last thoughts not about Liz's discomfort - but about how Remus was going to take the news that he had, inadvertently, almost mortally wounded another student…

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 **Author's Note** : This is the scene where the whole Sirius playing a stupid trick on Snape went down, as JKR has mentioned in Prisoner of Azkaban. The next chapter will be up soon!


	49. Chapter 48

Thanks for the reviews, CB and Anna. Cheers!

 **CB:** Thanks! I enjoyed writing it, too – it's fun to change PoV at times!

 **Anna:** I know! But then again, he kind of deserved it for being an idiot!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Eight**

" **It is up to you to decide – whether you want to play** _ **with**_ **your team – or** _ **against**_ **."**

The days following Severus's almost-mishap saw a dramatic shift in the Marauders' group dynamic. Livid with Black, Potter and Remus shunned him, preferring to alternate between giving him dirty looks and avoiding him altogether. Peter found himself in a most unenviable position of being the friend of people who couldn't stay in the same room together. Lily couldn't help but empathize with him – she herself was in a similar position.

It was unnatural to see Sirius Black walking around with his shoulders drooping, his head down and keeping to himself. Vicious as his behaviour towards Severus had been, his life could admittedly not get much worse: first shunned by his family, now by his friends; banned from the Quidditch team and therefore unable to play the final match of the season; splitting up from Marlene (after a public fight which had included a kick to his groin); responsible for Gryffindor losing a hundred points (Lily hadn't reacted to that when she'd heard it the first time, so worried had she been about Severus – but the full effects of the loss in points had hit her the next day when the ruby-filled hourglass showed them at fourth position); but the worst one yet was that he'd nearly exposed the terrible secret of one of his best friends and put the lives two fellow students in jeopardy. _If I were he, I'd be crying my eyes out all day_ , thought Lily sympathetically. She decided to be nice to him for the time being – she couldn't bear to see him walking around like a ghost whose last wish had remained unfulfilled before its death.

Only Liz stood by him. Liz had explained to Lily that Marlene had seen her and Black together – with his head on her lap. Liz had tried to explain that nothing had happened, that the whole episode had meant zilch; however, convinced that Liz had been trying to chat up to Sirius, Marlene had proceeded to storm off to the dormitories in anger after hurling a few expletives at the former. At Lily's insistence, Liz had tried to talk to Marlene once again, but the brunette had rudely spurned her attempt, which had caused Liz to revert to her snarky, snippy behaviour towards the other girl.

Lily had tried to speak about the whole situation to Remus gently, but the latter had refused any discussion on the matter. Lily hadn't pushed the subject; she knew that Remus was terribly afraid that his secret would be exposed, and the fact that Severus knew it was traumatic enough. Plus, there was the small matter that Black was the one responsible for Severus finding out about it…

To her relief, the matter seemed to still be a secret, though it wasn't long before rumours about what had exactly happened that night began to fly thick and fast – mostly a result of people finding out that Sirius Black had received a ban from playing Quidditch for the rest of the year. Lily heard several possible reasons as to why that may have happened – everything from dropping a deuce on Filch's head (she suspected Peeves may have been the one to start that) to attempting to snog Professor McGonagall – though to her relief, none of them came close to the truth, implying that Severus was indeed holding his tongue.

It was three days after the incident when Lily finally had a chance to speak to Severus. She'd been meaning to have a heart-to-heart with him ever since Mary had been attacked by Mulciber, but she hadn't gotten the opportunity. _Well – now, there's one more thing I need to talk to him about_ , she thought grimly as she walked towards the courtyard, with them both having decided the day before to meet there. The sight of his thin, sallow face as he stood waiting for her didn't cheer her up like it usually did, though; her mood remained sombre as she walked up to him.

"Look, Severus – I need to know if we're going to have a rational discussion or not," she said without preamble. His welcoming grin faded. "C'mon, Lily – I thought you knew me better than that," he responded, stung, as they began to stroll across the castle courtyard. "Besides – I was thrilled when you said you wanted to discuss something with me – I wanted to have a chat with you, too."

Lily knew at once what he was referring to. It had to be the incident with the Whomping Willow… Determined to avoid it as much as she could, she said instead, "Fine – but you have to hear me out first. It's about your – _friends_." Her voice was cutting.

He stiffened at once. "What of them?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and trying to appear nonchalant.

"You know bloody well what I'm talking about!" she snapped. "And if you're going to pretend you don't know –"

"Why would I pretend something like that?" he asked, nonplussed. He held up has hands and added calmly, "Look – you don't have to snap. You said it yourself – rational discussion, remember?"

She took a deep breath. "Sometimes it's impossible to have one with you," she said tersely. There was a flash of anger in his black eyes, before he said softly, "That was uncalled for. I thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends?"

Lily regretted her harsh words at once, but didn't dwell over it for too long. Instead, she exclaimed passionately, "We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! _Mulciber!_ " she spat, her tone caustic. "What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary MacDonald the other day?"

They had reached a pillar, and leaned against it, looking at his sallow face with her eyes narrowed.

"That was nothing," said Severus dismissively. "It was a laugh, that's all –"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could someone dehydrating themselves be – _funny_? She gave him a scorching glare and said coldly, "It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny –"

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" demanded Severus, cutting across her. The colour rose in his sallow cheeks, and his expression was resentful.

"What's Potter got to do with anything?" said Lily, sighing mentally… They were about to have the same old argument, however hard she tried to avoid it. Potter had saved Severus's life three days ago – and in her gratitude, she'd even shared a tender moment with him that night. To her surprise, Potter hadn't mentioned it or asked her out since then – his whole energy seemed to be focused on being livid with Black.

"They sneak out at night," Severus was saying, and she forced herself to pay attention to him. "There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

"He's ill," said Lily, fighting to keep her tone flat and evasive. "They say he's ill –"

"Every month at the full moon?" said Severus, and Lily drew in a sharp breath. He _knew_ , and he was going to try to prod her in the right direction… But why? _Does he hope I will distance myself from Remus if I know the truth? Fat chance!_

"I know your theory," she said frigidly. "Why are _you_ so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?" It was a fair question, after all.

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are," he responded, and his gaze was intense – so intense that it made her blush. He fancied her – and that was what was prompting all of this. She gave another inward sigh. Why did things have to be so complicated?

"They don't use Dark Magic, though," she shot back, suddenly tired of the argument – it was getting repetitive. If she wanted to stop it – she had no option, she had to play the trump card. Hating herself, she dropped her voice and said, "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there –"

The reaction was predictable; Severus's whole face contorted and he spluttered, "Saved? _Saved?_ You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to – I won't let you –"

"Let me? _Let me?_ " she snapped; she was sure that her eyes were so narrowed that they were slits. Perhaps he caught on to that, for he backtracked at once.

"I didn't mean – I just don't want to see you made a fool of – he fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not… Everyone thinks… Big Quidditch hero –" His tone was bitter, and his clear loathing for Potter was rendering him incoherent.

She raised her eyebrows. "I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag," she said, cutting across him, and cringing inwardly as she said it. It _was_ true – but she was conveniently forgetting the part where Potter was also noble, chivalrous and loyal. She ploughed on, "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humour is just evil. _Evil_ , Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."

But she doubted that he'd even paid attention to that last bit. To her chagrin, his whole body had relaxed the moment she had insulted James Potter… There was only one reason why that could be. Severus fancied her, and viewed Potter as a threat – and so long as he was sure that she didn't fancy Potter back, he was content to leave things as they were.

"Look – it's getting late," she said evenly. "C'mon – we should head back inside." He nodded and they began to walk away from the courtyard. To her consternation, she noticed a new spring in Severus's step, no doubt a result of her insulting Potter. _Dammit, Sev_ , she thought. _I know you like me… Is it so bad that I don't feel the same way?_

"Think about what I said, OK? I'll see you later," she said as they entered the Great Hall in time for dinner, and he nodded. She gave him a little wave and walked towards the Gryffindor table, her thoughts buzzing… She was worried about whether he'd ponder over her words, or disregard them. She hoped that it was the former – she absolutely loathed the people he hung around with, and the little voice inside her head kept telling her that she was losing that particular battle. _I hope he doesn't stray down that path_ , she thought anxiously, not at all feeling very hungry. How could she even think of food when she was in danger of losing her first magical friend?

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"So – tell me, what is the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?" asked Professor McGonagall. Several hands went up at once, including Lily's. "Yes, Miss McKinnon?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"The Animagus can change into their animal form at will, while the werewolf is forced to transform once the full moon rises," said Marlene confidently. Professor McGonagall nodded and said, "Correct – five points to Gryffindor. It seems you're doing well on your revision, Miss McKinnon."

"Show-off," muttered Liz, and Lily nudged her. Her best friend continued softly, "Everyone knows it – besides, that's not even the main difference –"

"But Miss Huntington seems to have something to add," came Professor McGonagall's voice, and Lily looked up to see the teacher's beady eyes on Liz, her expression stern. "Yes, Miss Huntington?"

"Werewolves are unable to keep their mind when they transform. Animagi, on the other hand, are in total control of themselves," said Liz clearly. "Of course, this is the main difference – something which is lost on some people," she added, with a sly glance towards Marlene. Lily nudged her again, more sharply this time. _Really, that was unnecessary_ , she thought despairingly.

Professor McGonagall chose to ignore this, however. "That's correct, Miss Huntington – five points to Gryffindor. Your revision, too – yes, Potter?" she said instead, noticing Potter's raised hand.

"There's one more major difference, Professor," he said. "Animagi look cooler…" Peter laughed, and even Black gave a little chuckle. Remus, however, said, "Werewolves have a heightened sense of smell and hearing than Animagi. It is how they find their – targets."

Lily shuddered slightly; it wasn't surprising that Remus would know so much about werewolves. She caught the little note of hatred in his voice, and felt pity for her friend – here he was again, drowning in self-loathing. She had to do something about it…

"True," said Potter, "But Animagi – I'd say it's their elegance that sets them apart…" He glanced at Professor McGonagall and said, "Isn't that right, Professor?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Potter – but write that in your OWL, and you'll get a 'T'," the teacher replied tartly, but Lily could swear that a faint blush had appeared on her cheeks. She smirked a little, as Liz whispered, "For all that strictness, McGonagall is a softie from the inside. Her cat form suits her perfectly." Lily nodded, smirking even more. Liz certainly had a point.

After their revision class, she approached the teacher for her Careers Advice appointment; it was something all fifth-years had to do with their Head of House. "Well, Miss Evans – have you considered what career you'd like to pursue after your education?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Er – yes, Professor," she began tentatively. "Er – I think a job in the Magical Research and Development Office sounds good to me."

"You'll need top grades for that," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "They need at least five NEWTs, one of them in Ancient Runes – but considering you haven't taken that subject, you will need three letters of recommendation – from two Professors at Hogwarts, and from someone who works at the Ministry or at St Mungo's, who may have a bearing on your application…"

Lily's mind immediately went to Mrs McKinnon and Healer Rodham… She was sure she could get that third letter of recommendation. "You'll give me a letter of recommendation, right, Professor?" she asked hopefully, and the teacher nodded firmly. "Of course, Miss Evans – until now, you've been a model student, and your schoolwork is excellent."

Lily blushed at the compliment. She asked, "What NEWTs would I need, if I don't have one in Ancient Runes?"

"Potions, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts – and Transfiguration. Yes, Miss Evans, Transfiguration," she added, smiling slightly. "And let me tell you this, girl – you've really picked up on your Transfiguration over the past few months. There's nothing wrong with it except a lack of confidence… You simply need to believe in yourself more."

"I'll try, Professor," she said fervently, reassured that Professor McGonagall had noticed all the extra effort she was putting into the subject. "Er – what about a Career as an Auror, or a Healer?"

"Believe it or not, the same subjects I mentioned are useful if you want to become either an Auror or a Healer," said Professor McGonagall. "It's the grades that matter… For an Auror, an 'Outstanding' in the DADA NEWT is compulsory. For a Healer, the same is necessary in Potions. Other than that, nothing below 'Exceeds Expectations' is deemed enough. Let's see…" She consulted the clipboard in her hands. "You seem to be averaging somewhere between 'Outstanding' and 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy and Herbology, and 'Outstanding' in Charms and Potions. You're near 'Exceeds Expectations' in Transfiguration – I expect that to get better by the time your OWLs are here, so that you can continue for a NEWT, Miss Evans. I expect to see you in my NEWT class."

"Thank you, Professor," she said, relieved. Professor McGonagall nodded and asked, "You should also consider Curse-Breaking at Gringotts – there, your knowledge in Arithmancy will come in handy, though for Ancient Runes, you'll need the three recommendation letters as well."

"Right," she said, "But I'd like to pursue a Career in the Magical Research Office, Professor."

"That wouldn't be a problem – considering that your work has been exemplary in the subjects you're studying, Miss Evans. I expect great things from you," she added, her beady fixed steadily on Lily's emerald ones. "With this war, we need bright witches and wizards doing all they can to help…"

"I _do_ intend to help out, Professor," she said firmly. "I shall do what I can."

"I expect nothing less," said Professor McGonagall, and she actually smiled; Lily detected a distinct note of pride in her voice. She felt heartened at once. "Well – that concludes our discussion, Miss Evans," said the teacher, standing up; Lily followed suit. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Professor," she said, and stepped out of the classroom. It had certainly been a fruitful discussion… _Anything that I can do to help with the war, I shall do it_ , she thought firmly. _Anything at all…_

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The Friday night before the Quidditch Final was a tense affair. Lily had given up trying to study (knowing in her heart of hearts that her OWL preparation was going as per schedule), preferring to sit by herself in front of the fire with the _Magical Theory_ textbook in her lap. She'd been sitting with Liz earlier, but her best friend had left the common room with Potter, who had (to her astonishment) barely acknowledged her presence, other than a smile and a wave. She supposed that the Quidditch Final was more important to him than asking her out… _Well, I'm not complaining at all_ , she thought dryly.

She sighed and shook her head. She couldn't concentrate – not when two of her friends weren't getting along, and their quarrel being detrimental to the Gryffindor Team. To make matters worse, Black wasn't playing, either – for a moment, she felt a stab of sympathy towards Potter, who would have his work cut out for him in attempting to salvage what he could with a fractured team.

"May I?" said a familiar voice, and she wheeled around to find Sirius Black standing behind her. He was indicating the armchair next to her, and she nodded at him and asked, "Since when do you ask for permission, Black?"

"Since I became the most hated Gryffindor in the past decade," he replied with a brave attempt at humour, but the pain in his voice was unmistakeable. He threw himself in the armchair with the air of a man who had lost everything in his life.

"C'mon – don't say that," said Lily, giving his hand a sympathetic pat. But Black shrugged listlessly. "You know it's true, Evans," he said, his shoulders sagging. "I have that title all sewn up – no one else even comes remotely close."

"It'll get better," she said soothingly. "Over time, people will forget this whole thing, and it won't even matter anymore."

"How do you know that'll happen?" he asked, shaking his head in despair.

"I don't," she replied simply. "But with the exams coming up, and after tomorrow's match, people will have something else to talk about, see?"

"Maybe," he said doubtfully. Spying the closed textbook that she held, he asked, "How come you're not studying?"

"Can't concentrate," she said tersely. She hesitated for a second before adding, "I'm worried about tomorrow – the whole thing between Liz and Marlene, it's awful for the team!"

"Oh, yes," said Black. "Yet another thing that's my fault," he added bleakly, turning away to stare into the fire.

"No – c'mon, don't blame yourself," said Lily sympathetically, patting his hand once again. "It's a girl thing – it'll take some time, but it'll be all right eventually." She couldn't keep the note of doubt from her voice, and he must have sensed that, for her said, "Nice try, Evans – you need to believe the stuff you say, you know."

She shook her head. She had to learn to lie better than that.

"Hunt's been wonderful, though," said Black, his voice softening a little. "She's been my only friend throughout this mess. And you," he added, as an afterthought.

She blushed slightly. "I don't think I've done anything, really," she said honestly, tactfully choosing to disregard his statement about them being friends. In her mind, they were barely acquaintances – but recent events had caused Lily to go out of her way to treat him with kindness; it was unbearable to see him walking around so sadly.

Black shook his head. "You're one of the only people who doesn't flinch or glare at the sight of me," he replied with another mirthless smile. "The others are Hunt and Pete…"

"Well – look at it this way," said Lily, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "Think about something you don't want anyone to know. Now imagine that someone finds out – someone you don't like at all. How would that feel?"

"I'd be terrified," said Black softly.

"And if one of your best friends caused that to happen, wouldn't you be livid, too?"

"I know, Evans, I understand," said Black, holding up his hands. "I know how he feels, all right? But it was a reaction – nothing else! It's not like I _told_ anyone!"

"I understand that, Black," she said comfortingly. "And while it was a stupid, terrible reaction –" he flinched slightly, and she noticed a little hurt in his grey eyes, "—it'll take a while for them to understand. You just have to be patient, Padfoot."

The use of the nickname startled him, and he regarded her with suspicion. "Remus told me your nicknames," Lily added, a little apologetically. "I didn't know it was a secret or something –"

But he waved a hand at her dismissively. "You're asking me to be patient – that's like asking the Hogwarts Express to fly," he said wryly, and Lily smiled. Wanting to take his mind away from the problems at hand, she said instead, "So – how's your OWL preparation going?"

"Not like I have anything else to do, is there?" he replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"You still have detention," Lily pointed out dryly, and he grimaced. "I know – bloody detentions," he said, shaking his head, "I have to go and scrub the trophies again tonight."

"Look on the bright side – one day you'll be able to say _you're_ the reason those trophies sparkle so much!" Lily said, her voice heavy with irony. Black snorted before changing the subject. "I was disappointed when ol' Redbeard said he'd teach us that Patronus Charm – and didn't! We got stupid Occlumency instead!"

"Hey, c'mon – Occlumency is pretty useful," said Lily. "You just have to get the hang of it –"

At that very moment, Liz came running up to her, her face slightly flushed. "It's all peachy, Lily!" she exclaimed, before turning towards Black and saying, "Evening, Blackie – what're you doing here?"

"Trying to decide if I should jump into the fire or not," he returned, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Oh, yeah?" said Liz, her sea-green eyes glinting wickedly. "Why don't you do us all a favour by jumping in, then?"

"Nah – you'd miss me," he retorted, and Lily chuckled. "You're awfully chipper," she said to Liz, "What happened? Potter give you steroids for tomorrow?"

"Er – what?" Liz asked her in confusion, and Lily rolled her eyes; on occasion, she forgot that most of her friends came from all-magical backgrounds and had difficulty with Muggle references and everyday objects. "Never mind," she said quickly, "So – what did Potter want?"

"Long story," replied Liz. "Bottom line – Marlene and I, we've made up."

"That's great!" Lily exclaimed, standing up and giving Liz a relieved hug. Then she drew back. "Y'know, I'm a little insulted – that you didn't listen to me, but to Potter," she said mischievously. Liz rolled her eyes and retorted cheekily, "Yeah, well – maybe I value _his_ opinion more than –"

"Urgh, enough already!" Lily exclaimed, punching Liz good-naturedly on her shoulder as her best friend continued to laugh. Black chuckled and said, "Well – good to know our chances for the Cup look better! Anyway – see you ladies around, I have to honour my commitment to the trophy room."

"Tut, tut, Blackie – I'm disappointed," said Liz with a little laugh, "You're rubbing trophies instead of –"

"Liz!" Lily exclaimed, shocked, as Black and Liz both broke into laughter. She shook her head; Liz's shamelessness when it came to any sort of innuendos was endearing and cringeworthy at the same time. _I have a nutter for a best friend_ , she thought dryly.

Black waved to them and left for his detention, and they threw themselves back into the armchairs.

"So – what happened? Did Potter give you a severe talking-to?" Lily asked.

"Something like that," Liz responded, and gave a little sigh. "We went out of the common room…"

XXXXX Liz's POV XXXXX

"But at least tell me where we're going, James!" Liz exclaimed as they walked along the corridor to the Charms classroom.

"You'll find out soon enough," James replied, with no trace of his usual good humour. Something was up, but he wasn't telling her what.

They entered classroom thirty-four, and Liz came to a stop as soon as she saw the girl already sitting there. Liz maintained a stony gaze as she felt a rush of anger and dislike; it was Marlene.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Marlene asked, her eyes narrowed. "Mary said you were looking for _me_ , James –"

"I was," James cut across her. "I wanted a word – with you both."

"Oh, yeah?" Liz said, her voice cold in contrast to Marlene's heat. "And what is it that you wanted to tell me – that has to be done in her _esteemed_ presence?"

"Shut up, you backstabbing –" began Marlene angrily, but James snapped, "Enough!" Marlene went silent at once, but her eyes never left Liz's face. Liz returned Marlene's death-stare with relish.

"I wanted to tell you – that we're going to lose tomorrow's final."

He said it baldly, icily. His tone was such that Liz forgot her animosity with Marlene momentarily. "What? _Why?_ " she asked him in confusion.

"Because," he said slowly, "Two of our players are going to play – for _Ravenclaw_ tomorrow."

Liz understood what he was hinting at. This had to because she and Marlene hadn't passed the Quaffle a single time throughout the two matches they'd played, something that had resulted in a narrow victory over Slytherin but a heavy defeat against Hufflepuff, with Donnie Martin failing to catch the Snitch in that particular match. Liz felt a pang of guilt as she realized how her feud with Marlene had affected the rest of the team's performance.

"Oh, come on, James," said Marlene haughtily. "It's not like that –"

"Say that again – and look into my eyes," James snapped at her. Marlene looked away. "She started it, James," she said tersely, looking at Liz instead – and Liz's blood boiled.

"That's a lie!" she exclaimed angrily. "I was the one who admitted the truth to her!"

"Silence," said James dangerously. "It doesn't matter who started it. The point is, it has to end – _now_."

Liz remained silent, as did Marlene. James went on, "When I agreed to let you play Chaser, Liz, I thought it would be a great idea – you know, the three of us, we know each other so well, we would work seamlessly as a team. So far, however – it's been disappointing."

Liz's heart ached with the pain in his voice. It was true that she'd decided to try out for Chaser because she'd wanted a different sort of challenge, after winning the Quidditch Cup last year as Seeker. Marlene had put in a strong performance then, playing like a girl possessed, scoring more goals than even James. She shuddered at the memory – in the aftermath of winning the Cup, Sirius and Marlene had kissed, and thus had begun a year of animosity. Liz shifted guiltily; her reasons for trying out as Chaser hadn't been entirely Quidditch-related. It had been a desperate attempt to prove that even if Marlene had snapped up Sirius, Liz was still a better Chaser – oh, she was indubitably the better Seeker, but beating Marlene at her own game would've been a different kind of sweet.

"It's – it's not that bad, James," she said lamely.

"Who are you kidding, Liz?" he snapped. "D'you think the Ravenclaws are stupid, that they haven't noticed that two of our three Chasers aren't passing the Quaffle to each other? Huh? _Do you?_ "

Liz was at a loss for words; she kept her head bowed as James continued to rant. "We got away with it against Slytherin, but we were trailing against Hufflepuff before Donnie was beaten. And if we're to stand any chance to win tomorrow's match, we can't keep fighting amongst ourselves."

Still Liz said nothing. He was right, and she felt a terrible pang of shame. She looked away, and kept her eyes fixed on a corner of the room, away from Marlene's glare and James's remonstrance.

"You're not little children. You're _well aware_ –" he said in a low voice, "—that if you two don't play together tomorrow, we're going to lose this match." He paused. "You came into the team last year, and we won the Cup then. You have no idea – _no idea_ what it's like, to lose it. Back in our second year – we lost the Cup on head-to-head. Filthy, stinking, miserable _head-to-head_ ," he added savagely. "You don't know that feeling of hollowness – of doing your best and still ending up on the losing side. It's heartbreaking – and trust me, you don't want to feel that way."

The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"I dunno what kind of problems you two have," said James cuttingly. "But I do know this: even if you two don't play together, the rest of our team will – _against_ Ravenclaw, that too – and if need be, against the two of you as well." Liz looked at him, shocked. She couldn't believe that he was speaking so harshly. Oh, James was hard on them – he was a tough and dedicated Captain who always pushed them, but he was never harsh. Something must have snapped in him…

"It is now up to you to decide," James said quietly, "Whether you want to play _with_ your team – or _against_."

Without another word, he turned around and left the room. He didn't even give any of them a second glance, which left Liz standing alone near the door, with Marlene a little way away. For the first time in her life, Liz was unsure of how to react. It was new territory for her – she, who prided herself with her ability to remain calm at all times – now had no idea what to do. She continued to stare out of the doorway where James had left, waiting for Marlene to make the first move.

"Liz?"

The voice was tentative, and Liz took in a deep breath before turning behind.

"What?" she said rudely, looking at Marlene.

"I – I'm sorry, Liz," said Marlene, her voice breaking. Liz stared at her in shock; an apology had been the last thing she'd expected. Marlene's cobalt-blue eyes were teary.

"I shouldn't have been a – a –" Marlene stuttered, then hiccoughed. And despite herself, despite the cold war she'd been having with Marlene for the past few months – Liz felt her heart stir with pity.

"It's fine," she said stiffly. "Forget it."

"No!" exclaimed Marlene. "I – I was having problems with Sirius anyway – then you come and tell me you like him but you weren't going to do anything about it, and I – I couldn't take it. I said some bad stuff and went for a walk to clear my head – by the time I came back, I was prepared to apologize, too – but then I saw –"

Her voice trailed off, and Liz closed her eyes. That memory was still painful, with Sirius's head on her thigh as he slept peacefully after a horrible, horrible incident. How she'd wished she could've told him how she felt then! But she couldn't. He'd been Marlene's boyfriend at the time, and she just couldn't have said anything. It wouldn't have been right.

Marlene ploughed on, "I mean, in our relationship, Sirius clearly wasn't in the same place as I – and I couldn't handle it, and blaming you was so much easier…" Tears fell from her eyes to the ground, and she bowed her head.

She'd heard enough; now was the time to come clean. She moved forward and embraced Marlene.

"I'm sorry, too," she whispered, and her eyes began to fill with tears as well. "I – I realized I had feelings for Sirius at the end of last year – and I was crushed when he kissed you. It got worse when we all duelled those Death Eaters at the Champions League final – he said he'd accompany you to the portkey office, and instead of feeling happy that he had your back, I was angry – angry because he'd come to your aid and not mine…" She couldn't believe how petty she'd been.

Marlene drew back and looked searchingly at her, but Liz continued talking. "I even tried out for Chaser – I'd always wanted to play Chaser, and if I could play better than you, I'd be proving a point to myself about how I really _was_ better than you." She shook her head in disbelief; it all seemed so stupid now. It was as if she'd been shaken awake. "I was the one who started the no-passing thing – it's my fault, and I'm sorry. Lily kept telling me to be nice to you, that Sirius going out with you wasn't your fault – but I was too blind and jealous and – _spiteful_ to do that. I'm so sorry…"

"Don't – don't be," said Marlene, and she actually wiped a tear off of Liz's face. "Smart girl, that Lily… She came to me several times to try and talk me into having a word with you – but I was no less a prick, wasn't I? I guess I sort of always knew that Sirius liked you – and I was _so_ jealous of you. I mean, I've seen the two of you together – the way he looked at you, it wound me up every time…"

"Nah – it's not like that – there's nothing between me and him," said Liz, but Marlene shook her head. "I know – _I know_. I know you'd never do such a thing to me – but that day, when I came back intending to say sorry to you, only to see him with his head in your lap, I just – I was so angry, Liz," she said shamefacedly. "I'd had enough… I split up with Sirius – I just didn't care anymore. I should've let you explain… But I didn't, and for that, I'm sorry."

"I guess it's safe to say that we've both been stupid," said Liz, with a little laugh. Marlene smiled back at her, wiping away her tears. "I couldn't agree more," she said fervently. "Friends, again?"

"Of course – c'mere –" said Liz gruffly, and pulled her into an embrace. They broke apart after a few seconds. "And now – I think it's time we returned to the common room," said Liz. "We must go to bed… We have a match to win tomorrow!"

"No doubt!" exclaimed Marlene, and the two of them walked out of the classroom together.

As they walked back, however, Marlene asked her tentatively, "So – what was it that night? Why was he – you know, er –"

"Sleeping with his head on my lap?" Liz completed the sentence, and Marlene nodded sheepishly. Liz shook her head. "'Fraid I can't tell you that, Marlene – at the risk of jeopardizing our newly restored friendship," she said regretfully. Marlene nodded, looking a little disappointed. "What I can tell you, however," continued Liz, "Is that it would make me share the secret of someone who's our friend, and I can't do that…"

"Wait," Marlene said, and stopped dead. She looked around, and satisfying herself that no one was in the corridor but them, she looked back at Liz and said softly, "Does this have anything to do with Remus being a _were_ –?"

"Sshh!" exclaimed Liz, and drew in a slow breath. _She knows_ , she thought, aghast. "How – how do you –?"

"I'll take that as a yes," said Marlene smugly. Then her tone became serious. "D'you remember me being all suspicious of Remus back in third year? I thought he had something to do with the attacks – as it turned out, he didn't, but it got me thinking. Wasn't too long until I pieced it together, see? It became clear as day at beginning of our fourth year."

"And you were sure I knew?" Liz asked her. Marlene snorted. "I'm not stupid, you know," she responded. "It's obvious who you're trying to protect…"

"Well – now that you know, I can tell you what happened that day," said Liz in relief, as they resumed walking back to the common room. Briefly, Liz explained the events of that evening, and Sirius's subsequent punishment and suspension from the team. Marlene's mouth was wide open by the time she was done.

"So, Sirius – he – actually – _told_ Snape –?"

"Yep," said Liz grimly. Marlene shook her head. "Scumbag," she said heavily.

"Rash and impulsive, more like," said Liz. "The bloody fool – didn't know what he was doing –"

"Well, he's _your_ problem now," said Marlene, with a sideways glance at her. "Aren't you going to tell him how you feel?"

"Nah – not now, anyway," said Liz, shaking her head. "You're my friend first – and besides, I want to take a step back and work out if I do still have feelings for him, or was I so consumed in my animosity towards you –"

"So – I go through all that trouble to split up with him, and you say you're not sure? Some friend you are," said Marlene dryly. Then her voice softened. "I'm through with him. If you go after him – you have my blessing."

"Thank you," said Liz sincerely, and Marlene patted her arm as they came up to the common room. " _Manticore_ ," said Liz, and the Fat Lady swung open to let them in. Liz spotted Lily near the fire, talking to – Sirius.

"Give her the good news – I'll tell Mary," said Marlene, and Liz sensed from her tone that she had no desire to come face-to-face with the bloke she used to go out with. She nodded, and Marlene patted her back one last time before making her way towards their dormitories. Taking in a deep breath, Liz headed straight to Lily, her heart lighter than it had been in months…

XXXXX End of Liz's POV XXXXX

"And that was that," said Liz, coming to the end of her tale. "Marlene and I have sorted out our differences, and James non-violently slapped us awake."

"I knew you were trying to show her up – it doesn't suit you, Liz," Lily said severely, and Liz had the grace to look a little ashamed. "I know – I know," she admitted. "But look, it's in the past now – let's forget it, OK?"

"Fine," said Lily, holding up her hands. Then she lowered her voice. "So – she knows about Remus?"

"Yep," said Liz sombrely. "But the fact that she hasn't reacted negatively means she's fine with it…"

"I know – I'm not surprised," said Lily quickly. "We should give her more credit than that."

Liz nodded, staring pensively into the fire. Lily smirked as she remembered something else Marlene had said to Liz… "So what now? Are you going to go after – er – _Blackie_?" she asked, smirking mischievously.

Liz shook her head. "Nope," she said. "Marlene may be OK with it, but I'm going to wait for a while and really, really _think_. Then we'll see…"

"Right," said Lily, sensing that her best friend didn't want to discuss it. She decided to change the subject. "I met Severus the other day," she said, talking about the first thing she could think of. "And he seemed to think that what Mulciber did was for a laugh…" She grimaced.

Liz snorted and said, "I'm not surprised – what a tosser! I don't understand how you can be friends with him!"

"Wow, where have I heard that before?" Lily said, with a mock-thoughtful expression. "Ah, yes – Severus keeps saying the same thing about Remus! Ugh – it's _frustrating!_ " She vigorously shook her head and looked away, wondering what on earth had prompted her to bring up Severus Snape.

"It doesn't have to be," said Liz doggedly. "Just distance yourself from him – you know he's going to keep defending those sodding excuses for humans he calls _friends_." Her tone was disdainful.

"C'mon," said Lily, "He's not like that – he is his own person –"

"Not for long," disagreed Liz. "One of these days he's going to show his true colours – and I'm worried about you, Lily," she added, looking at her steadily. Lily saw the anxiety and concern in her best friend's sea-green eyes. "I know you want to give him the benefit of the doubt – but all I'm saying is, be careful. That lot he's bumming around with – they're twats, all of them…"

"Thanks," said Lily, touched. She gave Liz's hand a little squeeze. "I know you've made some valid points – I'll keep that in mind." Liz nodded in acknowledgement and gave her a little smile.

"So – all set for tomorrow?" Lily asked, and Liz nodded again. "Yes," she said confidently. "You see – Marlene and I, we played properly during practice. But during the match, it was open season…"

"Well – at least that part is sorted out," Lily said bracingly, and Liz gave her another little smile. "Yes," was all she said though. She stood up. "I'm going to bed – I need my strength for tomorrow," she said, giving Lily a small wave. "'Night."

"Goodnight," said Lily, and Liz walked away towards the spiral staircase. Lily leaned back in her armchair, feeling several emotions at the same time… Relief with the end of the feud between Liz and Marlene, uneasiness over Severus, and a grudging respect towards James Potter for sorting things out in his own way. _Play for Ravenclaw_ , she thought with an inward snort. _Whatever next?_

In any case, she hoped he'd done enough…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello, and welcome to the final match of the Quidditch season – Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw!" boomed Dorcas Meadowes as Lily sat down in her seat with her usual group. "The winner is locked in a race with Slytherin – who defeated Hufflepuff last week to take the first position!"

"Slytherin's point difference is two hundred," said Mary, biting her lip. "And our point difference is zero at the moment – which means that we need to win today by at least two hundred points – 'coz we beat them head-to-head."

"Right," said Lily, nodding, just as Remus said, "We have a good chance, then – James told me yesterday he had – er, _sharp words_ – with Liz and Marlene. I reckon they'll play with better coordination today – he thinks he got through to them."

"He did," put in Lily, "Liz told me they'd made up."

"What was that all about, anyway?" Peter asked curiously. Mary gave a tinkling laugh and said, "Never mind – it was a girl thing."

"We'll never understand those, Pete," said Remus dryly, shaking his head. Peter chuckled in agreement.

Dorcas announced the teams, and within minutes, the game commenced. "They're off – and here's Potter, immediately, goes down the middle – underarm pass to Huntington, who juggles the Quaffle, about to shoot – _no!_ Passes to McKinnon – who SCORES! First blood to the lions – it's ten-nil!"

"Well done, Liz," Lily said softly, more to herself as she applauded the goal. Up above them, Liz and Marlene exchanged overhead claps before taking their positions. "Did you see that? She passed!" exclaimed Peter. "Nice going, Liz!"

Very soon, it became obvious to Lily and the others that Gryffindor were back at their best. The intent was there for everyone to see, and their famed Chasers were finally playing like they should have all season – with stunning, ruthless efficiency.

"Woohoo!" Lily cheered as Liz scored her fifth goal, just as Dorcas announced, "And Huntington scores! It's one-sixty to thirty, and Gryffindor have an almost unassailable lead in the match! In contention for the Cup, the lions!"

"If we catch the Snitch now, we're going to win!" Mary exclaimed. "Go Gryffindor!"

"The new Beater seems to be doing OK," observed Remus. "He hasn't missed a single Bludger – Sirius is going to have some stiff competition."

The mention of Sirius Black gave Lily an opening. With pretend nonchalance, she turned in her seat and said, "Right – er, are you both talking now?"

Remus's face darkened, and for a moment, Lily saw the shadow of the wolf on his face. She drew back, a little startled.

"No," he said shortly, as Peter gave him an anxious glance. "C'mon, Moony," the fat boy said, fidgeting nervously – but his voice was firm. "Cut him some slack, he never –"

"I don't want to hear that he never meant it, Pete," Remus cut across him sharply. Lily shook her head; it was time to try a new tack.

"Look – his life pretty much stinks now, Remus. You know he's had problems with his family, and that he holds the three of you in high regard. He's had to do detention every night, and he lost several points – plus no Quidditch. Don't you think you should stand by him during this time?"

"He – he – you know what he _did!_ " Remus snapped in a furious whisper.

"As far as I know, he stood by you when things were tough for you," she retorted, looking directly into his brown eyes. He recoiled as if she'd slapped him, and looked away. "Just – think about it, OK?" she added, her voice gentle. She turned back to the front, nodding to Peter as he mouthed 'thank you' to her.

"And it looks like Clark has seen the Snitch!" shouted Dorcas excitedly. "Martin's on his tail – Gryffindor have a lead of one-seventy points – and Clark's _caught it!_ He _catches_ it – but Gryffindor win! And as for the Quidditch Cup – Slytherin have won it!"

There was subdued cheering as the Gryffindor team landed, barely celebrating. The Slytherins, on the other hand, were elated; they cheered and jeered in equal measure. Lily looked away from the sickening sight of Mulciber and Avery exchanging overhead claps and jumping up and down… _That's probably the first time they've cheered a Gryffindor victory_ , she thought wryly as she descended from the stands and made her way towards the team, who looked distraught; Marlene was sobbing over Liz's shoulder, and Adam Wright appeared to be comforting Donald Martin, who was unable to hold back tears. She trudged towards Liz and Marlene with Mary right behind her, and the two of them began to gently lead their scarlet-robed friends towards the castle as Remus and Peter walked up to Potter to comfort him…

The atmosphere inside the common room was sombre for the rest of the day. The team sat by themselves in one corner, and Lily soon joined them… Having trained with them for months, she felt a sort of camaraderie with them, and she sat with them during their hour of gloom, rubbing a teary-eyed Liz's back comfortingly from time to time. Remus and Peter arrived too, and produced a round of cakes and hot chocolate that were passed around, but that did little to cheer anyone up. At one point, Sirius Black sat next to Potter and gave him an encouraging sort of pat, before saying thickly, "I'm sorry I let you all down." His apology was met with nods and a couple of weak smiles, and Potter patted his shoulder in support. Lily was heartened to see things between them were probably back to normal… _I supposed Remus talked to Potter_ , she thought.

Gradually, the common room began to empty; no one was in a mood to celebrate Gryffindor's win – especially as Slytherin had won the Cup. Finally, only Potter remained in the corner, staring out of the window resolutely. Sighing, Lily went and sat with to him. "I'm sorry we lost, Potter," she said gently. It was the first time she'd spoken in hours.

He turned to her – and she was surprised to see the triumph in his eyes. "I am too – but the way Liz and Marlene played today, you won't believe how long I've waited to see that," he said, and there was a note of pride in his voice. "I know you talked to them yesterday – well done, thanks," she said fervently, going slightly pink as she spoke. He nodded and said, "Right back at you – Moony and the Worm spoke to me, told me what you said. I too think Padfoot has suffered enough… Moony sort of – er, helped to patch things…"

"I'm glad you sorted things out with him," she said, smiling. Potter returned her smile. "There's a Hogsmeade visit after the OWLs," he said, and there was a familiar lopsided grin on his face. "D'you want to go with me?"

 _Well, it lasted long enough_ , she thought dryly. "Get this through your thick head, Potter," she said, her voice cutting, "Just because I speak to you civilly doesn't mean I'm going to go out with you."

"But why not?" he asked, somewhat pleadingly. "Is this about – _Snivellus?_ " His voice had a hard note to it.

"It's _Severus_ ," she snapped. "And no, it isn't about him. It's about your fatheaded arrogance and temerity, Potter –"

"C'mon, just one date!" he protested. "I know you like me too – if you didn't, you wouldn't have kissed me the other night!"

She stood up, anger coursing through her veins. "I cannot believe you're throwing that in my face right now!" she whispered savagely. "You know very well that it meant nothing –"

"Don't lie, you did it voluntarily!"

"I was overwhelmed! You'd just saved the life of someone I deeply care about!"

"And isn't that enough for you to give me a chance?"

"No," she said forcefully. "Just because you have my respect doesn't mean you have my friendship… Or in this case, _affection_ ," she spat. "Don't you realize it? My refusal is not connected to anyone apart from you! But so long as you think like that, my answer isn't going to change!"

His expression was shocked, and his mouth was slightly open.

"You've saved Severus's life, and you repaired the relationship between two of my best friends. For that, you have my gratitude – but _nothing else_. As for your other question, _no!_ And stop bothering me!"

And with that, she turned her heel and swiftly made her way towards her dormitories, leaving a very confused James Potter in her wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's note:** The scene between James, Liz and Marlene is inspired from (or directly copied from, to an extent) the amazing Bollywood movie, Chak De! India. Also, the scene between Lily and Snape is from Deathly Hallows, Chapter thirty-three – from Lily's PoV rather than Harry's or Snape's. Cheers!


	50. Chapter 49

Thanks for the reviews, Guest and booknerdpearl. Cheers!

 **Guest:** Thank you so much! It's really great that you picked up on my writing style changing (or 'evolving') as the characters age – it was a conscious effort, really. It's important that the change has to be perceptible, and I'm sure glad it is!

Hello everyone, here is chapter forty-nine. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Forty-Nine**

" **I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"**

The disappointment of missing out on the Quidditch Cup didn't last very long for Lily and her friends. With the OWLs nearly on top of them and only about two weeks remaining, everyone was too busy with revision to feel sad about the Cup. Lily and Liz, having gained a good head start over the Easter holidays, were fairly confident; unfortunately, not everyone in their year was, with two Ravenclaws being the first to get panic attacks and given a dose of Calming Draught by Madam Pomfrey.

A flourishing trade of memory-enhancing items, lucky quills and glowing amulets to indicate wrong answers was going on within the walls of the school; however, the Prefects were on top of things, making sure that these illicit activities were suppressed as much as possible. Lily came across Mary interested in buying a silvery, powder-like substance that the seller (a sixth-year Hufflepuff boy) claimed increased his efficiency and helped get him seven 'O' OWLs; naturally, she confiscated the packet and poured the contents down the toilet and awarded the boy detention, much to his annoyance. Mary wasn't amused.

"I was going to buy that, Lily!" she exclaimed for the third time as they walked back to the common room. "That was powdered manticore legs, a hundred years old and almost priceless – he was offering me an ounce for just five galleons, d'you know what a bargain that was?"

"Oh, c'mon, Mary – none of those things actually work!" Lily said patiently. "And that wasn't powdered manticore legs – it was simply ash mixed with sugar!"

"What rubbish!" Mary blurted out disbelievingly.

Lily shook her head. "I've already confiscated three other packets today – a few simple tests told me what it really was," she said grimly. "For instance, d'you think that manticore legs could taste sweet?"

"I suppose not," replied Mary uncertainly.

"Then why would the boys I first confiscated it from gush about how sweet it was?"

"I didn't know that," Mary said, in a small voice.

Lily patted her friend's arm kindly. "Don't worry – the only way to score well in the OWLs is through some cold, hard revision… You do that well, you don't have to take these stupid, fake stimulants – oh, for Heaven's sake!"

They had come across Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black involved in some kind of transaction with three other Hufflepuffs. Quick as a flash, Lily Summoned the packet of merchandise and examined it, much to the displeasure of Black and Peter.

"Hmm – smells like bat droppings," she said, her eyes narrowed. Turning to the perpetrators of the trade, she added, "Detention to you both."

"They're methane pellets!" one of the Hufflepuffs, who she recognized as Jacob Adair, exclaimed. "They're supposed to smell bad – but they increase one's thinking power by fifty percent!"

"You've been had, Jacob," she said simply. "This is nothing but excreta of an animal, and if you really want to be known as the poop-eater –"

"Urgh, never mind," said the other boy, making a face. He nodded to his fellows and the three Hufflepuffs began to walk away.

Rounding on Peter and Black, she said angrily, "What're you playing at, selling bat droppings to others?"

Black and Peter exchanged a look, before breaking into laughter. " _We_ know that – but _they_ don't!" Black said, his tone amused. "Blimey, Hufflepuffs really _are_ duffers –"

"That'll do," she cut across him. "Don't you have detention?"

That sobered him at once. With a sullen look at her, he said, "You had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"Hey, anything that gets you out of my sight," Lily said dryly, shrugging; Mary gave a little chuckle. "Now – skedaddle!"

"See you later, Pete," said Black, and shuffled away. Peter turned to Lily and said, "C'mon, Lily – we were just having some fun, there's no need to give us detention!"

"I'd rather be revising if I were you, Peter," she returned, and Peter's expression grew sombre at once. "I was taking a break from it," he said, a little defensively. Lily smiled.

"Fine – now, let's go back to the common room," she replied. "As I recall, I was supposed to test you with Charms tonight."

"I remember," said the fat boy earnestly. "I've been studying all day – let's get to it!"

"Sure," she smiled, and made her way back to the common room with Mary and Peter. _There's so much left to do_ , she thought fretfully… _But Peter's need is greater than mine. I can afford to take a night off my own revision…_

The atmosphere grew steadily solemn as the exams drew closer. Professor McGonagall had given them the timetable in class one day; several subjects included both theory and practical exams, while some of had just one of either. Lily scanned the timetable with increasing trepidation; the sequence of the exams wasn't very friendly – Charms (both theory and practical) on Monday, Herbology (again, both) on Tuesday, Astronomy on Wednesday morning, with the practical that night – the afternoon being given to Ancient Runes (Lily felt a stab of sympathy for Liz, Wednesday was going to be a full day for her). Thursday and Friday were devoted to Care of Magical Creatures and Divination respectively (both theory and practical).

Then came the exams in the second week… Potions (both) on Monday, Arithmancy on Tuesday morning and Muggle Studies in the afternoon, Defence Against the Dark Arts (both) on Wednesday, Transfiguration (both) on Thursday, followed by the last exam, History of Magic, on Friday afternoon. _It's going to be a long two weeks_ , Lily thought… At least she had only one subject to worry about every day – that cheered her up only slightly…

Time flew by quickly, and soon enough, it was the Sunday before the OWLs began. Lily felt confident about Charms, and as a result was the most relaxed fifth-year in the Gryffindor common room on Sunday afternoon. She agreed to test Liz, but had to admit privately to herself that it had been a bad idea; she got into a disagreement with her best friend about whether the effects of Cheering Charms would last more than fifteen minutes; Liz claimed they would, while Lily was sure that the most powerful Cheering Charm would wear off in ten minutes. In the end, they'd agreed to disagree, with Lily ominously telling Liz that if she were to write that in the exam the next day, it would be at her own risk.

Dinner was an antsy meal that night. Lily ate her fill, but was one of the few to do so… Liz was distracted, while Marlene barely touched her rice and salmon. Peter and Black, on the other hand, wolfed their food down as if it were their last meal – at one point, Black swallowed a large piece of salmon whole. Disgusted, Lily looked away – to the staff table, where she saw four new faces: an ancient, frail witch with pure white hair; an old, bald man with pince-nez glasses; a handsome, middle-aged man with a square jaw and a jet-black moustache; and a blonde woman with a pixie cut. There was no doubt about it – these people had to be their examiners…

She turned to Liz to discuss this development, but found her best friend engaged in a sword-fight with Marlene; they had each Charmed a butter-knife to mimic their wand movements. Mary and Remus were laughing – and Potter, not wanting to miss the fun, immediately Charmed two forks to attack each knife, causing the girls to unite against him and defeat him first, much to everyone's amusement. _He just can't resist showing off, can he?_ Lily thought with slight derision. _In any case, if Liz performs like this in her practical tomorrow, she'll be fine…_

Breakfast was a quiet affair on Monday morning; none of the fifth-years spoke too much. After the meal, they were asked to wait in the chamber just off the Great Hall, which underwent a change; the four House tables were replaced with several smaller ones. Each student was handed a special anti-cheating quill, and the exam commenced. Lily scanned the first question: _Write the (a) incantation and (b) wand movement for Colouring Charms. Easy, she thought, scanning the rest of the paper._ Easy, she thought, reading the next question. She spent a good five minutes reading the entire question paper; confident that she knew all the answers, she began to write…

"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked Liz as they sat down for lunch (the House tables had reappeared). "I'm not sure about the range of Banishing Charms, though – can they go beyond a hundred feet? I mean, if there aren't any obstacles –"

"Please stop," Liz cut across her. "It's over – no need to do it again…"

Lily went silent at once, remembering Liz's dislike of discussing the exam paper once it was done. "Severus would make better company after exams," she said, smirking a little at her best friend, who snorted. "I'm sure he puts up with you to not hurt your feelings," she shot back, a wicked glint in her sea-green eyes. Lily rolled her eyes and continued to eat, mentally going over all the incantations of the Charms she'd studied so far…

The practical was easy; she was asked to make a cup perform cartwheels across the table, before making it grow up to bucket-size – both of which she achieved without breaking into a sweat. Her examiner, the woman with the pixie-cut, smiled and asked her to shrink the cup and make it five times heavier; a simple Density-increasing Charm took care of that. When her examiner gave her another satisfied smile and told her that she was free to go, she walked out with her shoulders held high, confident that she'd just achieved an 'Outstanding' OWL.

She waited for Liz, who came out shaking her head; her best friend had, in her haste, accidentally broken the plate she was supposed to be turning orange – but she'd recovered quickly, repairing the plate and doing what was asked of her. "That's good enough," said Lily, patting Liz's drooping shoulders comfortingly. "Besides, you demonstrated the Repairing Charm – that'll cancel out the broken plate, I'm sure." Liz cheered up after that, and the two of them headed off to study for the next day's exam…

Never having had many problems with Herbology, Lily was sure she'd done well on the written exam, and just got a tiny drop of Bubotuber pus on her little finger during the practical, something which caused her a little irritation for a few minutes; Astronomy on Wednesday wasn't too difficult, though she wasn't sure if Titan or Ganymede was the biggest moon in the solar system; she went for Titan, and was a little disappointed to learn that she'd got it wrong. The practical went more smoothly, but she completed her star-chart in the nick of time. Liz was exhausted, having had her Ancient Runes exam that afternoon as well; Lily had to nearly carry her back to the common room.

She did well on her Care of Magical Creatures theory paper, before going outside in the grounds for the practical. She was asked to bow to a Hippogriff and gain its confidence (having done this before, it was just as easy this time); to clean and feed fire salamanders without getting burnt; and to identify a Knarl from several hedgehogs. She returned to the castle rather pleased with herself.

She was nervous about Divination, never having gained an aptitude for the subject over the last three years. She stayed up all night, studying hard; it paid off, she didn't miss a single question in the written exam. However, she was feeling extremely drowsy during the practical, and mixed up the basic concepts of tea leaf reading and palmistry… She spent five minutes searching for the life line in her tea dregs before understanding that it didn't make sense. She actually dozed off for a minute as she closed her eyes while thinking about the dream her moustached examiner had asked her to interpret… All in all, it wasn't one of her best exams.

"C'mon – you can just give it up next year," said Liz in a commiserating manner as they sat under the beech tree; Lily was distraught after her performance in the exam. "I know – but I shouldn't have stayed up the entire night – I fell asleep, Liz!" she exclaimed fretfully. "I _fell asleep_ – during an exam!"

"It was Divination," said Liz dismissively, "Doesn't count… Besides, it doesn't affect your career prospects, does it?"

"Er – no," said Lily, feeling the first twinges of relief in a long time. Liz gave her a gentle pat and said cheerfully, "That's what matters, then…" Lily nodded, cheering up marginally and mentally preparing herself for some rigorous revision over the weekend.

She revised Arithmancy on Saturday and spent Sunday studying Potions with Severus in the library; however, it was less of studying and more of friendly competition as they proceeded to ask each other the toughest questions they could think of. They even made a game out of it, with the first one to get five questions wrong would have to say, 'You're the best potioneer I've ever met, please teach me, O Intelligent One' to the other. To Lily's chagrin, by the time she messed up her fifth question, Severus hadn't even dropped a single question. The triumph and amusement in his black eyes were evident as she good-humouredly begged him to teach her.

Revising Potions with Severus had its advantages, as Lily finished her written exam with twenty minutes to spare. The afternoon's practical was a piece of cake, too… She had to brew the antidote to a poison that caused the digestive tract to burn, something which she could've accomplished in her sleep – but having read _101 Basic Healing Potions_ , she brewed her antidote in less than thirty minutes, earning herself a bonus from her bald examiner, who was absolutely delighted with her. She couldn't help but feel a tiny sense of superiority as she watched Potter and Black stirring their cauldrons, tense and sweaty-faced… Once again, she walked out of the dungeon with the confidence that she'd achieved an 'Outstanding' OWL.

She spent the rest of the day studying Arithmancy with Liz, and the two of them tested each other, too. Lily went to bed feeling fairly confident, but she was soon brought back down to earth when she saw the paper. There were three questions whose answers she wasn't sure of, but she was sure that she'd covered the basics in each case at least, which should get her partial marks. Liz had performed similarly, and the pair of them spent at least ten minutes lamenting about the fact that they shouldn't have skimmed through the last bit of their exam material.

"Only three more," said Liz wearily as they went to bed that night, having revised DADA all day.

"Only?" repeated Lily fretfully. "Transfiguration remains – and I just know that how much ever I study, I'm still going to miss things and somehow mess up the exam."

"Oh, shut up," yawned Liz. "Your Transfiguration is fine – even McGonagall said so."

"I suppose," conceded Lily, wishing she shared her friend's confidence. "Well – 'Night!" But she remained awake for at least an hour after that, worrying about the subject she felt sure was her weakest…

The DADA exam was just as easy as Potions had been. She had no problems with the questions, and she was done it a few minutes before time. She set her quill down, scanning her answers. Satisfied (save for the question on the Imperius Curse), she rolled up her parchment and screwed the cap back on the anti-cheating ink bottle in front of her.

"Five more minutes!"

Turning, she saw the top of Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks a short distance away from where she sat. She liked the tiny little Professor… He was a brilliant wizard, and she was already excited about the Charms NEWT class. Professor Flitwick was walking past Potter, who seemed to be doodling something on some spare parchment… She shook her head. It was no surprise that Potter was probably done with his exam as well; after all, he excelled at the subject, and was a formidable dueller, too – better than her (though she'd rather eat doxy droppings than confess it in front of him).

Potter yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been before. She turned away, irritated; she spotted Liz sitting behind Black, giving him a rather hopeful glance… Lily smirked. Regardless of Liz's claim that she needed to 'evaluate' her feelings towards Black, it was obvious that she still liked him… She spied Remus sitting two seats away from Liz; he too seemed to be rereading his answers. Severus was sitting a few seats away from Remus, writing away furiously. She spotted Marlene near the front of the Great Hall; the brunette was snoozing, clearly having finished with the paper…

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio!_ "

More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed, but before Lily could go to help him, Marlene and a Hufflepuff boy took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him onto his feet again.

"Thank you… Thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

She waited for Liz and the rest to join her, and the four of them began to walk out of the Great Hall. "I think that went well," said Marlene, a content smile on her face. Beside her, Liz nodded. "I think I got most of the answers," she said confidently. Mary nodded in assent, indicating that she, too, was satisfied with her answers. They all looked at Lily.

"It was fine," she said at once, and her three friends heaved sighs of relief. She continued, "I'm not sure about the question on the effects of the Imperius Curse, though… I mean, does the wand need to be pointed at the victim at all times? I'm quite sure I read that it's not a necessity –" But that was as far as she got, as her friends quickly put their hands to their ears and blew raspberries; she stopped talking, half-irritated, half-amused. "We've been over this _several_ times, Lil," said Liz firmly, "No discussion of the exam papers once they are done, it's bad enough doing them once." Lily sighed, defeated; she really wanted to discuss the exam with them but it didn't look like that would be a possibility. Maybe she could discuss it later with Severus…

Severus. They'd been friendly over the past few days, but having heeded to Liz's warning about Severus and his friends, Lily had kept things strictly superficial. Beneath that first layer, however, everything about him was bothering her lately. She was sure that his friends were aspiring Death Eaters; disgust was the only emotion she felt when she thought about them. And there was something else… Though she would never admit it to Severus, she felt a little afraid of them, too… They weren't exactly restrained when it came to using harmful spells, were they? She was hoping to have another chat, a deep one this time, with Severus once their exams were done. The fifth-years had Transfiguration next, and History of Magic as their last, following which they'd be free…

"Lily – Penny for your thoughts, Lily," said Liz from beside her, shaking her slightly. She noted to her surprise that they were close to the lake, and that they'd passed the beech tree. "Nothing – I was just thinking about tomorrow's exam," she lied easily, but the faint blush over her face gave her away. She was a terrible liar, and Liz knew it; her best friend raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. They followed the other girls to the lake, sat down at its bank, took off their shoes and socks and lowered their feet into the warm water.

"So – Roger asked me to visit over the summer," said Mary, blushing as she spoke. It couldn't have been clearer that she had been bursting to say this. "Wow – that's great!" squealed Marlene, and pulled Mary into a sideways, one-handed hug. Lily felt happy for Mary, too; after all, Mary had been dating the tall and thin Ravenclaw for the past few months. "I didn't tell you how he asked me out, did I?" continued Mary, a happy smile on her face. "He was _so_ adorable, you know – he said later that he'd been wanting to ask me out for a few weeks but he was too shy to do so. Finally, he summoned enough courage to do it – he sounded scared stiff when he asked me, he barely got the words out!" she said dreamily, and they all laughed.

"Hey – Lil – look, James is playing with the Snitch. And he's looking here," said Marlene; Lily was unsurprised that she'd caught the movement a few yards behind them – after all, Marlene had a habit of taking in her surroundings wherever she went. Lily resolutely kept looking at the shining surface of the lake. "So? What's it to me?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant; but she knew that she'd just come off as awkward and stiff.

"Well – he's in love with –" began Mary, her tone teasing, but Lily cut her off.

"What poppycock, Mary – whatever he's doing, it isn't _love!_ " she said, struggling to keep the irritation from her voice. "Potter has been chasing me for the fun of it – it's all a game to him. I mean, sure, I know he isn't a bad person – but I really don't understand how you lot can tolerate that arrogant, fatheaded idiot!"

Liz, who had been silent until then, now said, "Well – _we_ don't understand how you can tolerate Snape, Lil. It's the same thing, isn't it? You can't stand James, and we can't stand Snape!"

She looked at Liz, vexed. The analogy made sense, though; they would probably never understand why she was still friends with Severus, and she did agree that his friends were a bad influence, but that didn't mean he was a bad person – did it? "Come on, Liz," she said patiently, "Severus is a good person. Granted, Mulciber and Avery are downright evil – but he isn't like that…"

"Speak for yourself, Lily… I still haven't forgotten what Mulciber did to me," said Mary darkly. "I had to spend five days feeling weak and tired all the time, and you know as well as I do that the Curse he used was Dark Magic…"

"A man is known by the company he keeps," Liz said sagely. Then she repeated the words she'd said several times before. "Mark my words – one of these days he'll prove he's as bad as they are, and there'll be nothing we can do about it."

Lily mulled this over; she had to admit that it was certainly a possibility, given how things stood, but she was sure that Severus was his own person, and he would never go down the path of his friends. "Look, Mary – I know that what happened to you was horrible, but it wasn't Severus who did that – it was those other goons – but you're right, I'll have a word with him," she added quickly, just as Mary opened her mouth to argue. She remembered with a pang that Severus had defended what Mulciber had done to Mary…

"We're only saying it because we're worried about you, Lil," said Liz, but before she could say anything more, she heard a shout from behind them. "All right, Snivellus?" an all-too-familiar voice yelled, and she whipped around just in time to see Potter Disarm Severus, and Black put an Impediment Jinx on him as he reached for his wand. Potter advanced towards Severus, wand raised, and she let out a sigh of exasperation. "Not again – _those two!_ " she shouted in frustration, and sprang to her feet, socks and shoes forgotten. She noted that a crowd was starting to form around the boys as she ran towards them. _Oh no, not again_ , she thought angrily. _Stupid – arrogant prick – Potter…_ She could hear Liz and the others follow her, though at a slower pace…

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" Potter asked Severus, and Black snorted. "I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," he said viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Her blood boiled at Black's harsh words; _he's even more horrible to Severus than Potter_ , she thought, remembering the incident from last month with a fresh wave of anger…

As she closed in on them, several people in the crowd laughed, and she hastened her pace. Severus was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

"You – wait," he panted, staring up at Potter. "You – wait…" She shuddered at the baleful loathing in Severus's voice; why hadn't he just been grateful that Potter had saved his life? "Wait for what?" said Black harshly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" Potter laughed derisively, and she broke into an angry jog. She was nearly there…

Severus let out a stream of mixed swearwords and hexes, but his wand being six feet away, nothing happened. "Wash out your mouth," Potter said. " _Scourgify_ _!_ " Pink soap bubbles streamed from Severus's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him –

"Leave him ALONE!" she yelled, her face red with the effort of running and the rage she felt, having reached them at last.

Potter whipped around, as did Black. "All right, Evans?" Potter said pleasantly, running his hand through his hair again, and her dislike for him went up by a notch. _That arrogant berk_ , she thought disdainfully. "Leave him alone," she repeated angrily, "What's he done to you?"

"Well," he said carefully, "it's more the fact that he _exists,_ if you know what I mean…"

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Black and Peter included, but she didn't. Her eyes narrowed at the jibe about Severus, and she looked at him with contempt. "You think you're funny," she said frigidly, "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_." She felt a little twinge of regret as she said those words; she'd gained a healthy respect for him over the past few months, but his treatment of Severus always brought out the worst in her.

He said, "I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." She looked at him in disbelief; how could he even ask that, especially _whilst_ he bullied one of her best friends? _Of all the nerve_ , she thought, and rage coursed through her veins. Still, taking a leaf out of Liz's book, she remained unruffled.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," she said, her voice shaking with forced calm. There, she'd just insulted him in the meanest way possible… But why was she feeling guilty? The answer came to her quickly – he'd _saved_ Severus's life, hadn't he? Plus, he wasn't really a bad person – but he was arrogant and a downright thorn in her flesh, and her guilt at her meanness faded as quickly as it had come.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Black briskly, and turned back, before yelling, "OI!"

Potter whipped around and she followed his gaze; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of his face, spattering his robes with blood. She noted that Severus had his wand out, and that he'd used a Curse she had no knowledge of… Or had it been a missed Nosebleed Jinx? _Idiot_ , she thought in frustration; she was sure he'd just made things worse for himself… Her thoughts proved to be accurate as there was another flash of light; the next instant, Severus was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Many people in the small crowd watching cheered; Black and Potter roared with laughter. She was sure that it was the _Levicorpus_ spell that Severus himself had invented, and it never failed to amuse her when someone was hoisted up in the air by their ankle… But it was her friend who hung upside-down like a bat this time, and she yelled, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," Potter said; he jerked his wand upward, and Severus fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Black shouted, " _Petrificus_ _Totalus_ _!_ " and Severus fell over again at once, completely rigid. _That does it_ , she thought dangerously, and whipped out her own wand. "Leave him alone!" she shouted, not even bothering to hide her emotions now.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," Potter said, and she bit back a retort ("Try me!") before saying angrily, "Take the curse off him, then!" He sighed deeply, then turned to Severus and waved his wand. She watched with relief as Severus struggled to his feet. "There you go," Potter said to him, "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Severus shouted.

Her breath caught in her chest, and her eyes widened with shock. She looked at Severus, frozen; had he – had he, her oldest friend – just called her a – a _Mudblood_? Had the boy who had once told her that parentage made no difference in the Wizarding world just insulted her parents? She couldn't believe it; she couldn't think properly.

Then, as she stared at him, something happened: she saw, for the first time, what her eyes had simply refused to see, what her mind had been telling her as the truth, what her heart had fought to believe despite what her mind had told her… Severus Snape was no longer the curious, thirsty-for-knowledge boy she had known him to be. He wasn't the sweet boy who had given her so many thoughtful presents over the years. He wasn't the kind and helpful friend who had awkwardly comforted her when she got into fights with Petunia. Nay, he was a power-hungry, Dark Magic-loving, Muggleborn-hating blood purity maniac; a person who hoped to be a Death Eater one day, a person who hoped to join Lord Voldemort…

Tears rose in her eyes but she immediately blinked them back. She couldn't appear weak in front of Potter and Black. She just couldn't let anyone – _anyone_ know how crushed she was feeling… "Fine," she said coolly, although she felt hollow and empty inside, "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus,_ " she added savagely, her eyes narrowed. She tried to come off as indifferent and cool, but she was sure that she'd betrayed her true state of mind. She knew that her poise was going to break very soon.

"Apologize to Evans!" Potter roared at Severus, his wand pointed threateningly at him – and despite her emotional turmoil, she felt a ripple of anger; who the _hell_ was Potter to decide whether or not Severus should apologise? "I don't want _you_ to make him apologize," she shouted at him. "You're as bad as he is!" She noted his dismayed expression with satisfaction. _Serves him right_ , she thought scathingly… _If he hadn't bullied Severus, none of this would have happened_ …

"What?" Potter yelped. "I'd _never_ call you a – a you-know-what!" And despite her less-than-friendly feelings towards him, she knew that he was speaking the truth. James Potter, despite his many faults, wasn't a champion of blood purity… He was chivalrous and noble, and he opposed the entire concept… But all the same, he was the same self-centred idiot, and he would serve as an outlet for her anger after Severus's betrayal. She turned to him, her gaze hostile.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK," she spat out the last word disdainfully, before cringing – that last bit was uncalled for, and she regretted it immediately. But she was in no mood to hang around… She turned on her heel and hurried away towards the castle. She could hear him calling her by surname again and again, but she ignored him and quickly ran inside through the Entrance Hall gates.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold her tears for much longer; indeed, they were already starting to fall. Half-blinded, she stumbled up a random staircase. She had no idea where she was going, but she kept running, ignoring the curious looks that people walking in the corridors sent her. She came across a girls' bathroom and thankfully made her way inside. It was miraculously empty, and she locked the door before stepping inside a cubicle and locking its door for good measure. She sat on the toilet seat and let her tears fall freely.

She began to sob; she couldn't help it. She cried for the loss of her once-best friend. She cried for his cruel betrayal. But most of all, she cried because she had known that he was going along a path that would most certainly break their friendship one day… She had known the ambitions and intentions of his friends, how he had let himself get influenced by them despite his protestations to the contrary, and how he had turned into one of them, someone she hated and was disgusted by… And the worst part was, she had tried to stop him. She had tried to help him, but he hadn't responded… She had known that this would happen one day if things remained how they did, Liz had warned her time and again, but she had been blind to it, instead choosing to believe in the boy who was her friend, knowing that the sweet, innocent boy was still within him… And that – _that_ was what made his betrayal all the more upsetting.

She also understood that her anger with James Potter was misplaced. Sure, Potter had played a part in Severus's humiliation, but he hadn't made him call her a Mudblood… No, that was Severus's own doing, and she didn't want any excuses made for him. She felt ashamed with her unkind words to Potter… She wasn't deliberately mean to anyone, what had happened? A part of her wanted to apologize to him, but she remembered the past few months, how he'd chased her, annoyed her… And the shame vanished. _If anything, he should be the one apologizing to me_ , she thought angrily…

How long she sat there, she didn't know. Finally, she rose, exhausted and drained. She knew that she still had the DADA practical exam that afternoon. She quickly washed her face and performed a Charm so that she looked like she had before she'd started to cry. No Charm would replace the emptiness she felt, however… She quickly exited the bathroom and made her way to Gryffindor tower, in order to change into a fresh set of robes and wear her shoes and socks.

She entered her dormitory to find Liz waiting for her. She hoped that Liz wouldn't say 'I told you so!' to her, she just couldn't stomach any of that right now, but Liz just smiled at her reassuringly. "Hey," she said gently, "You all right?" She didn't answer, and Liz quickly added, "Sorry, I know that's a stupid question. Come here…" She quickly pulled her in a tight embrace. Lily's tears threatened to fall again, but she held them back fiercely. _No more_ , she thought, _no more_ … She was done crying over the Dark Magic-lover Severus had now become.

They broke apart, and Liz said, "I brought your shoes." She pointed to her bed, and Lily nodded lamely. "I also got you a couple of sandwiches from lunch. Hurry up and eat – we don't have much time; the exam begins in twenty minutes." She nodded again; sitting down on her bed, she whispered, "Thanks." Liz smiled at her and said, "Anytime." Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, she sat next to her on her bed and waited till Lily was done eating, following which they quickly made their way to the classroom where the exam was being held.

The DADA practical exam was a breeze for Lily. She was asked to cast the Stunning Spell, the Impediment Jinx, the Shield Charm, and the Disarming Charm; she did all that and whatever more her examiner asked her. When the tiny, white-haired witch smiled and told her she could leave, she did so dully; she was sure that her practical would cover up for any mistakes she'd made in the theory exam, and that she'd probably achieved yet another 'O', but she didn't care. She found that she didn't care about mundane things such as exams after her oldest friend had betrayed her…

She was quiet all through dinner, having it early so as to avoid running into Liz, Mary or Marlene; she just couldn't face them and their pity. She practically inhaled her food before setting off towards her dormitory. Only Jane was there, and the two of them revised for Transfiguration in silence, only speaking to each other if they didn't understand something and needed the other's assistance. To Lily's relief, Jane didn't mention the incident of the afternoon – she was sure that Jane had heard of it, being the gossip queen that she was, but she mentally thanked the other girl for being understanding. She remained there for the next few hours, only stopping occasionally to have a drink of water. She blocked out every single thought about Severus, and focused on her revision with such a resolve that by the time she was done, she was sure, for the first time, that she would ace the OWL tomorrow. Finally, at about eleven o' clock, Mary entered the dormitory.

"Er – Lily," she said awkwardly, and she looked up. "Yes, Mary, what is it?"

"Er – it's Snape – he's outside the common room – he said he was waiting to talk to you, and that he was going to sleep there if you didn't come down… He said he won't leave till you talk to him."

She didn't want to talk to him. She was too drained; she just didn't care anymore. Mary seemed to sense this.

"Look – I tried to send him back, but he wouldn't budge. I had to restrain Liz from hexing him, she was so angry that he'd dared to show up here. Marlene is with her now, talking her down…"

She felt a rush of gratitude towards Liz. She knew what she had to do: she had to talk to him, repulsive as it sounded. She couldn't let her friends fight her battles. She stood up.

"Thanks, Mary," she said resolutely, "I'll go speak to him." Mary nodded gravely, and gave her an encouraging smile that clearly said, 'Just get it over with.' She smiled back and asked, "Where were you three all this time?" Mary hesitated before saying, "Well – we sat and studied in the common room – me and Marlene, that is – you know how good Liz is at Transfiguration, she doesn't even need any revision. I saw her talking to James earlier before he and Sirius went off somewhere – but they're back now. We figured that we'd give you some – some space, you know… That you'd talk about it when you were – you know, comfortable…"

She quickly pulled Mary into a grateful hug. "Thanks, Mary – for restraining Liz, and for not jinxing him yourself – I'll go and take care of it now." Mary looked at her and said, "No problem, Lil… Just tell that git to sod off." She said the last few words rather cruelly, and Lily was astonished. Mary was the gentlest of the four of them, and it was unnatural to hear her speak so harshly. Liz was the most level-headed, Marlene was probably the most observant, and she – well, she was probably the most upright of them all… She stood up for her friends, or for people who she thought her friends… _Well, look where that got me_ , she thought mirthlessly as she climbed out of the portrait hole and looked up in front of her.

There he stood, just like Mary had said; tall, thin and greasy-haired… But the sight of Severus Snape, which usually made her happy, now only made her angry and sad. Something had irreversibly broken between them.

Lily felt a plethora of emotions as she looked at the pleading dark eyes of the boy in front of her. He had been one of her best friends. They had told each other things, worked together, had mature, intellectual conversations together… He had been the one who had told her that she was a witch; it had opened up a whole new world for her… Despite his obvious leanings to the Dark Arts, she'd still trusted him implicitly…

And yet, he had been the one who had called her that unforgivable word.

All the emotions she'd supressed came flooding back at her. It wasn't the word that had affected her as much as the fact that she'd turned a blind eye to what her friends had seen coming. He'd always made excuses for his friends, just as she'd made excuses for _him_ to _her_ friends. With a sick surge of anger and sadness, she forced herself to focus on what he was saying.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking her straight in the eye, his expression piteous.

"I'm not interested," she said coldly. Really, did he think that a simple 'I'm sorry' was going to fix this?

"I'm sorry!" he said again, with more feeling.

"Save your breath," she replied, her tone unchanged. She folded her arms and looked at him stonily before saying, "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just –"

"Slipped out?" she said disdainfully. _I can't feel pity for him, I just can't. I must remain firm to my resolve._ She spoke again. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends –" she waited for him to object, but when he remained silent, her suspicions were confirmed, and her anger went up by a notch, "—you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?" There was a sick feeling in her stomach. How could he, who had been her best friend for years, _support_ the blood purity-propounding maniac responsible for the deaths of Muggles and Muggleborns?

He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. She continued to speak in the same scornful manner, but her voice shook slightly.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No – listen, I didn't mean –"

But she cut across what she knew he was going to say.

"—to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth, a Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?" She spoke with as much contempt as she could muster, but the wall of tears at his betrayal was threatening to break at any moment. She knew that she couldn't stay there much longer.

He seemed to be struggling on the verge of speech, but she'd heard enough. Giving him another withering look, she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole, closing it with a firm finality. She was done with him and his obsession with the Dark Arts.

Once inside, she hastened to her dormitory before she broke down completely. She'd almost reached the stairs when she heard someone call, "Hey – Lily!"

She stopped as she recognized the voice of James Potter. Rage coursed through her again. _He did this. He was bullying Severus, and it was because of him that we're not friends anymore!_ But just like before, logic won again. Potter was responsible for Severus's humiliation, certainly, but he hadn't forced Severus to call her a – a Mudblood… She looked at the boy in front of her, to find his hazel eyes boring into her own. Wanting nothing more than to go to bed, she sighed wearily and said, "Not now, Potter… Not now…"

"I need to have a word with you," he said, his voice soft yet forceful at the same time. She knew that it would be useless to protest, so she said nothing and waited for him to go on. "I was waiting here for you to come back, but clearly, you were already in your dormitory. I was just about to go to bed when Mary told me that she was going up to fetch you, because _Sniv_ – er, Snape –" he corrected hastily, catching her eye, "—was waiting outside, wanting to talk to you. So – I just waited for you to return, because – I wanted to talk to you, too," he finished awkwardly.

"What do you want, Potter?" she said, a little rudely. She didn't really care, though. She was cynically wondering how it was possible that James Potter hadn't hexed Severus Snape despite knowing that the latter had been just outside the common room, all alone…

"I want to apologise," said Potter, and her eyebrows went up in surprise. _James Potter, apologising to me?_ She quickly focused on what he was saying. "It's my fault that Snape called you a – a _you-know-what_ , I shouldn't have attacked and humiliated him like that," he said shamefacedly. "Please forgive me," he added, pleadingly.

"Yes, you shouldn't have," she said firmly, "It was extremely mean and low and cowardly. But that isn't the reason he called me a Mudblood." He winced. She continued, "He's been like that for years, I was just too blind to see it," she said, knowing that her words were true.

"All the same, it was awful," he said. "And I'm partially to blame; so, I'm sorry," he finished, somewhat lamely.

"The thing is, Potter," she said, "There are two parts to an apology. One, you have to actually mean it, which I think – against my better judgement, I might add – you do, this time, so I'm going to go ahead and accept it." He grinned with relief, and she softened. She could see that he was really feeling guilty and awful about what he'd done, and however arrogant, irritating and cocky he was, Lily Evans simply couldn't bear to see him – or anyone, for that matter – so very sad. She continued, "And two, you have to show the other person, through your actions, that you mean your apology. How you do it, is up to you, but you need to _show_ me that you _mean_ what you _say_."

"I mean it," he said shortly. "It's my fault that you and Snape are probably – no longer friends."

"Whether we're friends or not is none of your business, Potter," she said, with a touch of asperity. He flinched slightly, and she regretted the harshness of her tone immediately. "What is it to you, anyway?" she asked curiously.

"I don't care about that slimy, oily, greasy-haired _git_ ," he said savagely. She was surprised that she didn't feel the familiar twinge of anger as he insulted Severus. Maybe it won't be so difficult to _not_ be friends with him after all. "But I care about you," said Potter. She felt her cheeks redden slightly… She only had to look into his eyes to confirm that he was indeed sincere. She gave him a wry smile.

"Thank you for your apology, Potter. Goodnight," she said.

"Thank you for being so nice about it," he said, giving her a genuine smile – not his usual lopsided smirk. She noted to her chagrin that he looked rather nice when he smiled like that, and once again, she was struck by how _hazel_ his eyes were. "G'night, Evans," he said (she noted the renewed use of her surname), running a hand through his hair a bit nervously, before turning away from her and going to the chairs next to the fire. She remained motionless for a few seconds before making her way up to bed… It had been a long, hard day…

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Contrary to her initial fears, Transfiguration wasn't difficult for Lily; indeed, she had no problem with the written paper, thanking her stars that she'd revised Cross-Species Switching and Animagi. As for the practical exam, she was asked to turn her rabbit into a hare, which required subtlety to the highest level. She managed to do that, and was subsequently asked to Vanish the hare – which she accomplished within a few seconds. Her examiner, the moustached man who had also taken her Divination exam, smiled and told her that she could go; she nearly skipped out of the room, confident that she'd aced yet another OWL, and relieved that Transfiguration was over at last…

With only History of Magic remaining, no one was in a mood to study that night. In any case, most of the fifth-years would be dropping the subject next year… She supposed that she wouldn't mind too much if she scored an 'Acceptable', but considering her diligence in taking notes for the past five years, she wasn't inclined to let them go to waste. And so, she studied her notes carefully, determined to do well on the final OWL, too. Liz was borrowing her notes immediately after she finished reading them, it was a continuous process – though Lily had the distinct impression that Liz was speed-reading; her sea-green eyes were glazed.

Remus came over to them several times to confirm his notes with hers, and he ended up studying with them, too. Black and Potter were sitting elsewhere, playing Exploding Snap; they were either very confident, or they'd given up on the subject totally. Peter joined her, Liz and Remus soon, nervously trying to cram as much material as he could before the next day.

Finally, at around midnight, she rose; bidding the others goodnight, she began to make her way towards the spiral staircase. As she passed Black and Potter, the latter gave her a tentative sort of smile, quite unlike his usual cocky smirk. She nodded back to him before walking up the spiral staircase and going straight to bed.

Their exam was in the afternoon; she revised a little in the morning before sitting down for the exam after lunch. She scanned through the first few questions, her breathing growing easier as she read each of them; this wouldn't be very difficult, though she'd have to come back to the third question later. She smiled slightly and began to write…

She finished writing with fifteen minutes to spare. She looked around, but couldn't spot Liz – perhaps her best friend had already left. Lily didn't even check her paper; she was too animated to do so… She immediately handed it to the examiner, packed her bag, and skipped out of the Great Hall, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders…

Too excited to wait for Mary and Marlene, Lily decided to go for a walk outside. It was another beautiful day, sunny and cloudless… With a little sigh, she made her way towards the grounds, before abruptly coming to a halt. The recent memory was too painful. Her eyes threatened to fill with tears again, but she furiously blinked them back. _I'm done crying over him_ , she thought fiercely. Regretting her decision to not wait for Marlene and Mary, she made her way back towards the exam chamber – just in time to see them come out, considerably excited. With yells of delight, they hugged her, with Marlene declaring that summer was truly here at last…

Her friends suggested a walk outside, but Lily declined. Besides, she was wondering where Liz was… She bade goodbye to Marlene and Mary, and decided to search for her best friend. Her stomach gave a loud rumble as she walked; not having eaten much for lunch, she decided to go to the kitchens instead. The house-elves gave her a cheerful welcome, and half a dozen cupcakes… With only a twinge of guilt at all the sugar she'd be consuming, she greedily ate them all as she walked back to the common room (she supposed that she deserved a bit of a treat). Just as she came up to the portrait hole, however, a familiar voice called out her name.

She turned around happily, but her grin faded as she saw Liz's grim expression. _Oh no_ , she thought. What had happened?

"Where were you? Is something wrong?" she said tersely, steeling herself to receiving some bad news. Liz rarely showed emotion, and if she wasn't even bothering to hide her unease, something was definitely amiss…

"Yes," Liz replied shortly. "It's James's parents. They've been kidnapped."

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 **Author's note:** All that you recognise is once again from chapter thirty-three of Deathly Hallows. It was fun to write that scene from Lily's PoV, to fill all the gaps! Cheers!


	51. Chapter 50

Thanks for the reviews, KrystynaK, KJ, Anna and CB. Cheers!

 **KrystynaK:** Again, thank you so much! I hope I was able to do justice to the infamous 'Mudblood' scene in the previous chapter. Like I said, it was a different experience to write it from Lily's PoV, and I totally enjoyed it! Stay tuned to find out how I develop this story further!

 **KJ:** Cliffhangers are fun! Here you go, updated!

 **Anna:** Yes, I can hardly belive it myself! 50 chapters! That took some doing, really – and thanks for sticking to this story for this long! Haha, take another weekly update, then – and consider it a Diwali gift! And thanks, the last chapter is also one of my personal favourites. Do leave a review for this one, too!

 **CB:** Yes, it was about time! Severus Snape is a wonderful character with lots of layers and complexities, but he was never a hero of the story…

Hello everyone, here is chapter fifty. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fifty**

" **We're all going to come with you."**

Lily gasped. "That's terrible!" she managed to choke out. "How – when –?"

"I dunno," said Liz, talking fast. "I was chatting with him and Remus when he got a letter. I remember thinking how odd that was, we get our post during breakfast – but his face went pale and white as soon as he read it – he looked like he'd seen You-Know-Who!"

"But – who was the letter from? The kidnappers?"

"So I gathered," Liz replied tensely. "After the initial shock, however, James was livid – he wanted to get out of the school, to help them – but Remus and I managed to restrain him. The letter warned him that if he went to Dumbledore – or any teacher, for that matter – consequences would be dire."

"Dammit," Lily cursed softly. Liz continued, "The letter didn't mention any location – but the kidnappers have sent him a letter written by his Mum, too, as proof of life or something –"

"To prove that she's alive so that he'll bend to their will," said Lily, her forehead wrinkled. Her blood ran cold at the thought of kindly Mrs Potter being tortured and held against her will… And brave, capable Mr Potter in the clutches of Voldemort's supporters… _No_ , said a firm voice in her head. _I can't just sit by and watch this…_

"It was that Jugson bloke, wasn't it?" she asked Liz, her eyes narrowed. Her best friend frowned and said, "He's the most likely candidate – but the _who_ doesn't really matter. What matters is what we're going to do –"

"I think we should still go to Dumbledore," Lily said thoughtfully, but her best friend shook her head. "Dumbledore isn't here – didn't you notice that for the last three days?" Lily frowned, and Liz ploughed on, "Besides, they want a ransom of a hundred thousand Galleons – they've instructed him to remove that money from his Gringotts vault and await further instructions. He has twenty-four hours to do that… Oh, and he has to publicly denounce his parents and declare support for You-Know-Who."

"That'll never happen," said Lily decisively. She couldn't fathom someone like Potter, who despised the Dark Arts wholeheartedly, would do that…

"I know – which leaves only one option," Liz said, her voice calm yet forceful at the same time. Lily gave her a firm nod. " _We_ help him," she said, her hand on her wand stowed away in her pocket.

"Precisely what I was thinking," said Liz, clapping her on the back. "Look – find Mary and Marlene, and meet us all back in classroom twenty-five, OK? Sirius must already be on the way – that mirror of James's is dead useful."

"Yep," agreed Lily. "Now, go – keep him calm until we all get there, yeah? Then we'll decide our course of action." Liz nodded swiftly at her before turning around and hurrying away.

Lily sprinted down the stairs, making her way towards the grounds. Her thoughts were into the fourth gear, formulating a plan… They had no idea where Potter's parents were. Perhaps his Mum's letter would give them a clue… But what then? They had to somehow leave the school… _We could fly_ , she thought. _Four of us have brooms…_ Perhaps they could go to Hogsmeade first and take off from there… But where would they go? Everything depended on them getting some sort of clue…

Winded, she slowed down as she spotted Mary and Marlene under the beech tree. Relieved, she hailed them, briefly explained the situation to them, and within minutes, all three girls were running back towards the castle. They arrived at their destination, and entered the classroom – in the midst of an argument, by the looks of it.

"I told you, I'm going alone!"

"But where? You don't know where they are, idiot!"

"I don't care, Padfoot! I'll go to the Ministry – get all of Jugson's known addresses –"

"That's too obvious! And we don't even know if it's Jugson!"

"I DON'T CARE! THIS IS MY PARENTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"Enough!" Lily shouted, taking charge at once. "This isn't helping – everyone, _calm down!_ Yes – you too, Potter!"

"How can you tell me to –"

"Please," she cut across him. "Please – I know this is difficult, Potter – but _please_ , try to relax… It's necessary to keep a cool head," she added, her voice gentle. "Deep breaths – just take deep breaths…"

After what seemed like an age, Potter collected himself. His breathing grew easier, and the wild look disappeared from his hazel eyes. "That's it, James," encouraged Liz softly, as Black placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What does your Mum's letter say, James?" Marlene asked him delicately. Potter threw a crumpled piece of paper at her. "It's all gibberish," he said, his voice brittle. "It's like she doesn't know what she was writing…"

The implication of what he said hung perceptibly in the air. If Mrs Potter was incapable of writing anything but nonsense, it didn't bode well for her… Lily watched silently as Marlene, Liz and Mary pored over the letter for a few minutes without success. Finally, she held out her hand for it, and Liz handed it over. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch as she saw the smudged ink and the dampness of the paper – Mrs Potter had evidently been crying as she'd written this note. _Hmm, this may indicate that she was sane when she wrote it_ , she thought, a bit relieved. Taking in a deep breath, she read:

 _My dear, sweet son,_

 _Always the same, a stupid bloke, thinking and dwelling about the Cygnus constellation in West Africa is outside of the triangle._

 _Yours lovingly,_

 _Mum_

Lily frowned; overall, the note made no sense at all. Why would Mrs Potter be blabbering on about constellations and Africa? Nay, it was obvious that there was some sort of code associated with it. She quickly went over the basics of secret codes; it didn't look like a code with a keyword or with a few letters rearranged; all the words made sense. _OK, then… Maybe some words mean something else, like the ones in uppercase, for instance. Cygnus? West Africa?_ But she couldn't think of what it could mean…

"Cygnus is visible from the northern hemisphere – so it would be seen from West Africa," said a mild voice, and she turned her head to find Remus reading the note over her shoulder. "And the triangle – that could be the summer triangle, which consists of Altair, Vega and Deneb, which are the three brightest stars in Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus –"

"No," interrupted Lily. "I don't think that's the case – the first half of the note doesn't fit in. I think it's a blind – a misdirection, so that the kidnapper wouldn't be able to understand what the code is…"

 _I'm missing something_ , she thought feverishly. Her eyes narrowed, she scanned the note again. _Maybe I'll try alternate words_ , she thought. _My – sweet – always – same – stupid – thinking – dwelling – the – constellation –_

She stopped. 'Cygnus' had to be relevant, otherwise it was no good – and the alternate words approach eliminated that.

"She wrote dear _and_ sweet – I reckon that's odd," said Peter quietly, coming up to Lily's other side. "Sort of redundant, don't you think?"

" _You_ know how Mrs Potter writes her letters?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised. Elsewhere, she noticed Black and the girls trying to comfort Potter… She hoped that they were telling him that all was not, yet, lost.

Peter nodded hesitantly. "I wasn't able to believe that James had invited me over for the holidays in our third year – until he shoved a letter from his Mum under my nose," he said, flushing a little. "'Read it, you prat,' he said to me… That's how I remember what she'd written."

Lily shook her head. "Just one letter – it's too flimsy a premise to base that on, Peter," she said, but then she frowned… What if Peter was right? She'd already tried alternate words. What if she tried every third word instead? That would serve to eliminate 'dear' and 'sweet' in the first line, leaving only 'My – son' in it –

 _Woah_ , she thought as she read the note whilst considering every third word. _My – son – same – bloke – dwelling – Cygnus – West – outside – triangle – Your – Mum! Wow! That makes some sense at least_ , she thought excitedly. She clapped Peter on the back and said, "I think I've got it, Peter – Remus, c'mere…"

She quickly showed them what she'd found. A slow smile lit up Remus's face, while Peter's eyes widened. "Unbelievable," whispered Remus, "That's it!"

"Now all we need to do is figure out what each word means!" exclaimed Lily, and the three of them headed over to where the rest were seated. "Potter," Lily began kindly, "I think we've cracked the code. Here…" She grabbed a spare quill and a bottle of ink from one of the bookshelves in the room, and returned to her seat. "It's every third word," she said, her words coming out in a rush. "Here – I'll show you." She quickly underlined every third word in the note, which now read:

 _My_ _dear, sweet_ _son_ _,_

 _Always the_ _same_ _, a stupid_ _bloke_ _, thinking and_ _dwelling_ _about the_ _Cygnus_ _constellation in_ _West_ _Africa is_ _outside_ _of the_ _triangle_ _._

 _Yours lovingly,_

 _Mum_

"Now – it may not seem like much, but I think all the underlined words mean something," she added as the others scanned the note. For the first time since she'd arrived in the room, the tension reduced palpably, and she saw a ghost of a grin on Potter's face. "You did it," he said simply. "I guess I was too distraught to see it… Hiding in plain sight! I have to hand it to Mum."

"She certainly thought you'd figure it out, James," said Marlene gently, rubbing his shoulder. "She's not insane… She's all right!"

"For now," said Potter sombrely. Then he scanned the note again. At once, he gave a huge sigh and leaned backwards on the bench. "Of course! It all makes sense now!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Er – what?" said Black, voicing out what everyone was thinking.

"Each word is a clue! For instance – same bloke, that has to mean that effing Jugson," Potter said savagely. "But what does Cygnus mean?"

"Well – Cygnus is the swan –" began Liz, but Mary interrupted her. "Swansea!" she exclaimed. "Cygnus means Swansea – if she's written dwelling, she means a house or a home – _not_ thinking; it's a _noun_ , not a verb! And look – West sort of strengthens that, because it's to the West of Britain!"

"Wow – that's brilliant, Mary!" said Marlene in an awed voice.

"Outside – does that mean outside of Swansea?" mused Remus.

"Probably but the important thing is, of all the specks on the map, we have _one_ location," said Liz. "We know where they are!"

"Triangle – hmm – what would that be?" said Black thoughtfully, before turning to Lily. "Of course! 'Tri' – that's 'three' – it probably indicates every third word – which you figured out anyway!" he said, his tone admiring, and she blushed slightly. "Peter pointed me in the right direction," she said, ruffling the fat boy's hair as she spoke; he looked delighted at the compliment.

"So – the message roughly translates to 'James, Jugson is holding us somewhere outside of Swansea'?" summarized Liz. Everyone nodded except Potter. "Yes," he said, "But we cannot be sure, still…" His voice became stronger. "Yes – that's it. Obviously, I'm not going to do what they ask – I'll write to the Auror Department, and go to Swansea – to save them." His face was set in resolution. He stood up.

"Thanks, everyone – you've all been a big help. I'll see you later," he said tersely, and began to slide out of the bench – only to be stopped by Black. "And where the _hell_ d'you think you're going?" he asked Potter roughly.

"To Swansea – wasn't I clear before?" Potter replied, a little nonplussed.

But Remus joined Black now. "You're a fool if you think we're going to let you go to Swansea by yourself, James," he said mildly, but Lily shuddered at the force in his voice.

"It's suicide!" Liz exclaimed. " _Of course_ we're coming with you!"

"But –" Potter protested; however, Marlene cut across him. "Non-negotiable," she said shortly. Mary nodded and said, "I'm coming, too."

"And me," said Peter, though Lily detected a note of nervousness in his voice.

"We're a bunch of glory-hunters, y'know," Lily said dryly. Then her voice became forceful. "Don't think for a moment that you're going there alone, Potter – it's reckless, stupid and like Liz said, _suicidal_. We're all going to come with you."

"Hear, hear," said Black enthusiastically, which brought a smile out of Potter. He surveyed them all and said, "I could protest, I could argue – but I'm smart enough to know when I'm beaten. Fine – we're all going."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Black said cheerfully, clapping Potter on the back. "Now c'mon – let's go!"

"How were you going to get there anyway?" Marlene asked as they all stood up and began to leave. Potter smiled slightly. "My broomstick isn't for sweeping the floors, you know," he said dryly, and Marlene clapped a hand to her forehead. "Of course! And now – we have mine, Liz's, yours – and Sirius's, too! That'll do nicely!"

"Yup," said Potter. "We must go to Hogsmeade, though – the wards around Hogwarts don't let anything fly out or in."

"In that case – better Summon our brooms now," said Liz, and Potter nodded. "Good point," he said, and raised his wand. Black, Liz and Marlene imitated him, and the four of them shouted together, " _Accio Brooms!_ "

Nothing happened for a few seconds… Then with a whooshing sound, four broomsticks arrived and halted neatly in front of their owners, who grabbed them at once.

"Right," said Black, "Gregory the Smarmy's, then?"

"You read my mind," said Potter, and they began to make their way to the secret passage. _That's what I reckoned_ , Lily thought smugly. _Summon broomsticks, go to Hogsmeade – fly out!_ Her stomach clenched slightly; she wasn't a fan of broomsticks – though someone else would be flying, and she'd merely be sitting at the back.

They entered the passage and began to hurry along, talking little. Lily steeled herself for a fight in a few hours… She'd just had a bunch of cupcakes, and she could feel the energy coursing through her veins. _Well – I don't feel guilty anymore_ , she thought wryly. She knew that she was ready; she felt confident in her abilities to duel. _Expelliarmus_ , _Impedimenta_ , _Stupefy_ , _Levicorpus_ … She went through the basics in her head. She fingered the handle of her wand and smiled grimly, preparing herself for battle…

They climbed out of the passage and stepped out of the abandoned house, before arriving into a deserted alleyway. "Right – we ready?" said Black, but Potter hesitated. "I think someone should take these letters to the Ministry – Auror Office," he said, and held up the pieces of crumpled parchment. "Now that we have a location, we need to communicate it to the Ministry – and an owl would be too slow, so someone has to go there to deliver these."

"I'll take care of it," volunteered Peter immediately. "I can sneak in – I know I can. That way we avoid wasting time at the watchwizard's desk or being stopped by some employee, see?" He seemed oddly confident of himself.

Black rolled his eyes and said, "C'mon, Pete – don't be such a –"

"No, he's right," interrupted James, and clapped Peter on the back. "I know you can sneak in, Pete – just, be careful, OK?" The fat boy nodded eagerly.

"I'll come with you, Peter," said Mary. "We've only got four broomsticks – and a broom can't support three people, see? Besides, I know the visitors' entrance… We can sneak in very easily from there."

"Er – OK, sure," said Peter hesitantly; Lily was sure she could detect a bit of disappointment in his voice. She wrinkled her forehead, thinking… It was out of character for Peter to be disappointed that he wasn't going alone. Whatever did it mean?

"Great," said Mary, and grabbed Marlene's broom right out of her hands. "Thanks, Mar – we'll try not to break it!" Her amber eyes were a little mischievous.

"Er – all right," said Marlene, clearly a little discomfited, "I'll just ride behind Liz." Liz nodded in agreement.

Black withdrew something from his pocket, and handed it over to Peter. "We'll use that to stay in touch, mate," he said, earning himself an approving grin from Potter, even though it looked a little strained. Peter nodded happily, placing the mirror in his pocket – for Lily was sure that Black had handed him the twin mirror the Marauders used quite often.

Mary mounted the broom, and Peter sat behind her. "Give them the letters, raise the alarm, and send the Aurors to Swansea, OK?" Potter said succinctly, and Peter gave him the thumbs-up. "Don't worry, mate – they'll be there before you know it!"

"Hang on – d'you know the way?" Lily asked, and Mary exchanged a look with Peter. "Er – I know that we should head in a general southeast direction," said Mary. "I figured that we'd follow the lights – that way we'd know that we're in London…"

"Don't worry – I can fix that," said Lily, and drew her wand. She held it on her palm and said, " _Point me!_ " At once, the wand rotated and pointed to a direction on her right. "That's north," she said, "And if my geography is correct – you should head – that way." She pointed out the southeast direction, and Mary nodded. "Useful spell, that," she said. "Think you can navigate, Pete?"

"Yes," said Peter confidently, and drew his wand. " _Point me!_ " he exclaimed, and his wand mimicked Lily's. "Nice, Peter," she complimented, and the plump boy smiled. "It's an easy spell," he said. "Well – thanks, Lily – we're ready! Take care, everyone – help is on the way!"

"Good luck!" Mary shouted, and kicked off from the ground. Within seconds, their broom was a mere dot in the light blue sky.

"Right," said Potter, "We should get going, too."

"'Course," said Remus, "C'mon, Sirius." Black nodded and mounted his broom. Liz did the same, and Marlene clambered up behind her.

"Well – this leaves you and me, Evans," said Potter, with only a ghost of his lopsided smirk as he mounted his broom. "C'mon – hop on."

 _Just my luck_ , she thought, inwardly cursing Marlene. She hesitantly climbed onto the broom behind Potter, wildly searching for a place to hold on – but there was nothing apart from half an inch of the broom handle itself.

"Just hold my waist, Evans," said Potter impatiently. "I know you don't like flying very much – but trust me, you're safe with me."

"All right," she said nervously, and after a second's hesitation, grabbed his waist. "There you go," he said. "Now – we're going to lead, so you'll navigate, right? As far as I know, we should head south."

"Correct, Potter," she agreed. "That's the fastest way – and we can pass the Isle of Man as we go over the sea, that'll do it. You can fly over the sea, right?" she added with a twinge of unease.

"Of course!" he exclaimed confidently, just as Black said, "He may still tip you over into the water, if that's what you're asking –"

"In that case, I'll hex –"

"We're wasting time," interrupted Potter tersely. "The journey – it's going to be at least three hours. If anyone wants to turn back – now's the time to do it."

"No way, mate, we're all with you," said Black firmly, before suddenly jumping off his broom. "Just a minute," he added quickly, and hurried away. "Where did he go?" wondered Marlene, but no one answered; Lily wasn't sure what was on Black's mind either.

He returned five minutes later, carrying three packets of – sandwiches. "Here," he said, and threw one to Lily. "Remind me to tip Madam Rosmerta generously the next time we're in Hogsmeade."

"Good thinking, mate," said Remus, before his brow clouded over. "What about Pete and Mary? They have to fly a longer distance!"

"If I know Pete, he's definitely carrying something in his pockets," said Black dismissively, and climbed onto his broom. "We're set to go," he said.

"All right, then – follow us!" said Potter. "C'mon – let's go!"

He kicked off from the ground, and Lily felt a jerk near the region of her stomach. She instinctively tightened her grip around Potter's waist, silently wishing that she'd return to the ground in one piece. They accelerated as they gained altitude, flying closer and closer to the evening sun as it sank lower into the sky. It was a warm evening, but there was a bit of wind… Lily slowly began to relax. Granted, they were moving fast, but there was something refreshing about having the wind fly through your hair like that…

The broom suddenly jerked, and she squeezed Potter's waist as a result. Embarrassed, she loosened her grip as he adjusted the broom. "Bloody crow!" he exclaimed. "How're you doing back there?"

"Wishing I was back on the ground!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't we use Floo powder? Dammit – I didn't even think about that!"

"No good!" he yelled back. "The Hogwarts fireplaces are under heavy protection – to use them requires special permission! It's to make sure that none of You-Know-Who's supporters get through to Hogwarts!"

"Oh – I didn't know that!" she shouted; it certainly made sense. "I guess it's better we're flying, then!"

The sun steadily began to dip lower, and the breeze became colder. She stole a glance behind her, and was reassured to see two more brooms behind them – the others were on course, too. She looked down, and made out the still blue waters of the Irish Sea. "Wow – great view!" she shouted.

"I know! I just love this feeling of freedom – don't you?" Potter shouted back. He seemed more upbeat than earlier; Lily supposed that the flying was keeping him distracted from the predicament his parents were in. "It sure feels great!" she shouted.

There was a silence, following which Potter yelled, "I really appreciate this, Evans! I know things haven't been good between us, and you positively _detest_ me – but it was mighty grand of you to come along!"

She shook her head. "I don't care that you're a pain in my neck, Potter – your parents are in danger, and they need our help! Everything else trumps that!" she shouted. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "And I don't detest you – I never did!"

Even with all the wind, she heard his disbelieving snort. "Rubbish!" he exclaimed loudly.

"It's true!" Lily yelled back, blushing slightly. "You're fatheaded, self-centred and arrogant – but I don't hate you! I know that you have shades of goodness within you!"

"Wow – that's the first nice thing you've ever said to me!" Potter shouted, sounding awed.

"Don't make me regret it, then!" she shouted back with a slight smile. She looked down, and was relieved to see that they were right above an island – _the Isle of Man_ , she thought. She performed the Four-Point Spell again; they were bang on course. "We're headed in the right direction – and nearly halfway there!" she shouted.

"Really? We're making good time, then!" he shouted back. "Can you pass me a sandwich? I'm hungry!"

"I was wondering when you'd ask me that!" she returned, and carefully unwrapped a sandwich. "Here!" she added, and he took it from her and swallowed the entire thing in one gulp. "Ahh – tasty!" he shouted.

"Really, Potter – you eat like a horse!" she shouted, making a face. Potter guffawed. "So I've been told – Sirius isn't the only one who can do that, you know!"

"Urgh!" Lily exclaimed, "You two – you're well suited for each other!"

It was still daylight when they sighted land again. "We're over Wales!" she yelled. "Still on course – we should be above Swansea in an hour at most!"

"Got it," he shouted back, and they kept flying steadily as the sun set… But the long British twilight was certainly no myth, and it was another half hour before darkness began to fall. "We shouldn't be too far now!" she exclaimed.

"I'll descend as soon as I see some lights!" he yelled back. He remained true to his word – fifteen minutes later, he dived, and Lily held on to him for dear life as the broomstick travelled earthwards. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friends follow them, and felt relieved… Finally, they landed in an open field on the outskirts of town. Lily clambered off the broom at once, heaving a huge sigh of relief as her feet hit the ground. She adjusted her hair, which was all over the place, just as Liz and Black landed right next to them.

"Whew – long ride, wasn't it?" Liz said, exhaling a deep breath. She turned to Potter. "So, what now?"

"We split up," Potter said promptly. "We need to scout around – on the outskirts of the city, possibly fly low enough to detect traces of Dark Magic."

"Er – how?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"There's a spell," said Potter shortly. "My Dad showed it to me one day – I've been practising it ever since. The important thing to remember is that magic _always_ leaves traces… Powerful wizards like Dumbledore can detect it by themselves, but for us lesser mortals – we need a spell."

"Right," said Lily, nodding. "Plus – if we're going to fly low, we should Disillusion ourselves."

"Good thinking, Lily," said Liz, and raised her wand – but Marlene held up a hand. "Hang on," she said pensively, "What if the 'West' in your Mum's note wasn't for the west of Britain? What if it indicates that they're being held at a house to the west of Swansea?"

There was a silence as everyone mulled this over. Finally, Remus said, "Marlene's right – 'Cygnus' for 'Swansea' makes the 'West' redundant… Perhaps the house is to the west of the city after all."

"All right – let's start from the west," said Potter, and Lily stepped forward. " _Point me_ ," she said, and her wand immediately spun in her hand to indicate north. She pointed in a direction at right angles to the left of the wand tip. "That's west," she said, "We should start here."

"Perfect – great work, you lot," said Potter, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since they'd set off. "I don't know what I'd do without you – it was good you didn't let me come here alone like I was planning to."

"Like Evans said – we wanted a share of the glory, mate," said Black promptly, his tone sarcastic. "Shall we?"

"Yup," said Potter, his voice purposeful. They all mounted their brooms, Disillusioned themselves (Lily noted happily that the Disillusionment Charm worked even better the dark), and were airborne within a few seconds.

They flew slowly, keeping a sharp lookout on the ground. " _Volo deprehendere inimica magicae_ ," Potter whispered. " _Volo deprehendere inimica magicae…_ " It sounded like a very complex incantation, and she was glad that Potter knew this spell; it would've been a nightmare to find the place otherwise. She could see that they were travelling along a straight line in a southward direction, canvassing the west outskirts of the city.

Suddenly, they came to an abrupt halt; Lily had to adjust herself to avoid crashing into Potter's back. Potter shot up red sparks which lingered for two seconds – but it was enough; she could hear the whooshing noises from the others' broomsticks as they came to a halt near them. "What is it?" came Liz's voice.

"I think this is the house," said Potter. Lily looked down and saw that they were directly above a secluded sort of house; it looked like a mansion with three floors. There was a picket fence around it, and there was a clump of trees around the fence – the location, in the middle of nowhere, seemed perfect for nefarious deeds. Lily surmised that the trees probably hid the house from view if they were on the ground. Her gaze travelled to the gate in the fence, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw at least four hooded figures standing there. _Well, I'll be damned_ , she thought. _We found the place!_

"Right," Potter said softly, and she was sure that he'd seen what she had. "My detection spell is telling me that this whole house has an Anti-Disapparition Jinx around it. Plus, there's a spell to prevent objects from flying in – we can't go more than five feet lower than our current altitude. Let's land in the trees about fifty yards behind us – and make a plan of attack."

They all silently flew to where Potter indicated, and lifted their Disillusionment Charms. However, Lily sensed that there was something they weren't seeing… Something felt off. She thought hard as the others discussed their plan softly, until she understood what the feeling was. Her pulse quickened at the realization.

"Listen," she said in an urgent whisper. "What if this is a trap? What if they knew that you'd never do what they asked, Potter? What if this is merely a ploy to get you here – then capture you as well?"

There was a silence as the others digested this. "You do have a point, but there are too many variables for that to be true, Lily," Liz said finally. "Look – they couldn't _possibly_ know that James's Mum would write that letter in code, and that he would actually figure it out and come here…"

Lily paused, thinking. Then she said, "Cygnus – is it too obvious a giveaway to Swansea?"

"No time to worry about that now," interrupted Potter. "Look, Evans – we know that they've been kidnapped, all right? And we know that they're most likely in that house, which gives us two options – wait for Pete to send reinforcements, or storm the house ourselves."

She considered, but came to the same conclusion as he had. Even if she was right, and that they were most likely walking into an ambush, there was nothing they could do about it… Waiting for the Aurors would waste precious time, time which would most likely be utilised by the Death Eaters to inflict some more torture on Potter's parents… And even worse, what if they decided to – no, she couldn't allow herself to think that.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself again. "Fine," she said, her face set. "You're right – trap or not, we shouldn't sit around chatting. That gate is the only point of entry that I saw… Perhaps should start there. If they're not bothering to guard the fence, they must have ensured that there's no way to enter through it…"

"Perhaps they have a Caterwauling Charm in place," said Marlene thoughtfully. "It sets off an alarm if someone enters a building or an area without authorisation."

"Right – so, we go through the gate," said Black, and drew his wand. "I like it better that way, a direct attack is the most effective."

"Wait," said Potter, and pulled out his twin mirror. "Peter Pettigrew," he spoke clearly, and two seconds later, Peter's face appeared in the mirror. "Hey, mate – what's going on?" the fat boy shouted – evidently, they were still flying.

"We've found the place, Pete," Potter said, speaking fast. "It's to the west of Swansea, an abandoned-looking three-storey mansion with a white picket fence around it – got that?"

"Loud and clear," said Peter. "Mary reckons we're about twenty minutes away from London – as soon as we get there, we'll send help. But it'll be half an hour, at least!"

"Sure – thanks, mate," said Potter, relieved.

"No problem, Prongs," Peter replied. "I didn't know the trip would take nearly four hours – it was just as well that I stopped by at the kitchens and stuffed my pockets with cakes and macaroons right after the exam!"

"Told you," said Black smugly. "He's a greedy little blighter!"

"All right, mate – we're going in, OK? Send help as soon as you can!" said Potter. Peter gave an encouraging nod and said, "Don't worry – help is on the way. Take care!" He waved at them, and the mirror went blank.

"Handy little thing, that," said Liz. "Well – he needs us to give him half an hour. What's the plan?"

"We're not just going to stand there, if that's what you mean," said Potter. "He said half an hour – but if they get stopped, asked too many questions – then there's all sorts of bureaucratic rubbish… We can't just sit around waiting for help to arrive. At least – _I'm_ not going to – you're free to do what you like."

"Shut up – we're with you," said Liz, and drew her wand. "What I meant is, any suggestions?"

"Maybe we can distract those guards first," said Remus. "The house is quite big – may take some time to search for your parents, James. I suggest that we divvy up into groups – with each group having a different function."

"Leave it to Moony to come up with the fancy plans," said Black, clapping Remus on the shoulder.

" _Someone_ has to," retorted Remus, before saying, "The first group – I don't think it should have more than two members – will distract the guards – several ways to do it, we can improvise. When that's done, the others go in as soon as they can. There will be Death Eaters inside that house, and it's our job to stay out of the way as much as we can. Remember – discretion is the better part of valour."

"So – you're saying we run away from unfriendly situations?" asked Potter incredulously. "C'mon, Moony – these people are holding my _parents_ hostage! How can I leave them alone? They have to be punished!"

"Finding your parents is the top priority, James," said Liz firmly. "We encounter a Death Eater, we must run away – until we find your parents. Diversionary tactics – that's the key."

"She's right, Potter," said Lily, supporting her best friend's argument, "What good will it do if you get hurt even before we find them? Look," she added gently, "I know you're livid – you're hurting – but you need to stay cool and unruffled. It won't do us any good if we plunge headlong into danger. We have to be smart, Potter."

"Fine," he said sullenly, his eyes narrowed. "But once we find my parents – those slime moulds had better watch out, 'coz I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born."

"That's the spirit, mate," said Black, clapping him on the back. "Now – who wants to do what?"

"I'm going in," said Potter once again, and no one argued with him – there was no need to.

"I can do the distraction," said Remus mildly. "I have a few ideas…"

"Great, I can help you," said Lily quickly, before anyone else could volunteer. The others nodded, and she couldn't help but notice a twinge of disappointment in Potter's eyes – she figured that he'd have liked her to go with him, but she'd had enough of Potter for one day – even though he'd been quite nice, and not annoyed her at all. "Once we've dealt with those guards, we can join you, too," she added, and everyone else nodded.

"Right," Potter said, looking at Lily and Remus, "You do that, then – and we'll sneak in. Join us when you're done – and stay safe, OK?"

"Count on it," said Lily confidently. "You, too."

"Don't worry about us," said Liz reassuringly. "We'll be fine. You take care – and don't do anything stupid!"

"I have her back if she does," said Remus wryly, and she gave him a little punch. "Right back at you," she said nonetheless. With a little wave to the others, she reapplied the Disillusionment Charm on herself. Remus imitated her, and they stealthily made their way towards the gate, before pausing about ten yards away and hiding behind a big elm tree.

They watched the four figures at the gate intently for a few seconds, until Remus whispered, "I don't think a direct attack is a good plan, whatever Sirius says. Even if we're Disillusioned, they may still be able to hit us…"

"I was thinking the same thing," agreed Lily. "Perhaps we can distract them, and make them chase us or something – then catch them unawares."

"I've got an idea," said Remus, "Hold on to this tree." She did as he asked, and Remus pointed his wand at the gate. " _Terra Motus!_ " he whispered, and the ground began to shake – it was the Earth Wave, which resembled an earthquake. Lily saw two of the figures fall over, before quickly springing to their feet. The two standing figures moved away from the gate, and began to search for the source of the disturbance… Sensing an opening, Lily waited for one of the Death Eaters to come close enough, and as soon as he was within range, she whispered, " _Stupefy!_ " Her Stunner was bang on target, and the figure went down like a lamp.

"Good one!" complimented Remus, just as the others ran in the direction of their fallen comrade. "Heads up – here they come!"

The figure in the lead shot a Stunner in their general direction, but their Disillusionment Charms made sure that his Spell was inaccurate. "Hang on!" Remus shouted, " _Terra Motus!_ " Lily caught a tree branch just in time, and the Death Eaters were again rendered off-balance. Praying that Liz and the rest were using that time to enter the compound, Lily yelled, " _Impedimenta!_ " One of the figures was blasted off his feet, and immobilized.

"Stupid kids!" the figure closest to them yelled, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

Lily heard a whooshing noise as a jet of blinding green light erupted from the goon's wand, and dived aside to avoid it. She was horribly shaken – she'd never dreamed that these people would use the Killing Curse so indiscriminately…

"Stupefy!" Remus yelled, but his Stunner missed; the other man pointed his wand at Remus and shouted, " _Confringo!_ "

" _Protego!_ " screamed Remus, and the Shield Charm stopped the worst of the Blasting Curse; but she was sure that the force of it would've rendered him off-balance. Galvanised into action, Lily yelled, " _Expelliarums!_ "

The Death Eater she was duelling blocked her Disarming Charm, and screamed, " _Confractus!_ "

Lily quickly cast a Shield Charm, and the Curse rebounded; however, the thug was ready, and he dodged it easily. "Want to play, do you? Stop hiding and fight!" he taunted her.

Lily noticed her Impediment Jinx on the first Death Eater wearing off, and made her decision in a fraction of a second. Praying that Remus would quickly shut his eyes, she screamed, " _Lumos Intensum!_ " The reassuring, familiar, blinding jet of all-consuming white light erupted from her wand; blinded, the Death Eaters staggered back, and Lily quickly saw her opening – " _Stupefy!_ " she shouted, and the Death Eater nearest to her crumpled to the ground. The others blindly fired spells in her general direction, but they missed – " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Remus shouted, and the second thug went down. By now, the third one had had enough, and he yelled, " _Expuslo!_ " whilst pointing his wand in their general direction; she dived aside but the Curse passed within inches of her, and she could feel the rush of power –

" _Stupefy!_ " Remus shouted, and the Death Eater went down like his fellows. Silence reigned.

"Whew, that was close," she said with relief, and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Good work, Remus!"

"You too," said the brown-haired boy, and she could hear the smile in his tone. "We make a good team – that Intensifying Spell was a masterstroke!"

"Thanks," said Lily, feeling herself blush a little as she examined the nearest Death Eater. " _Petrificus Totalus_ ," she said, and he was instantly paralysed. "Good thinking," Remus said, and repeated the Body-Bind Curse on the other three Death Eaters. "I think we should put them to sleep for good measure," mused Lily. She pointed her wand at one of the Death Eaters and whispered, " _Somnus!_ "

"Nice," said Remus, and together, they put all the Death Eaters to sleep. "This Charm lasts for approximately two hours… These goons won't be bothering us anymore," Lily said, relieved. There was a pause, following which Remus said, "Instead of Disillusionment Charms, let's wear these masks and sneak in. That way, they won't be able to tell that it's us until it's too late!"

"Good idea!" said Lily, and they proceeded lift their Disillusionment Charms and don the masks of two of the Death Eaters. "These creeps don't look much older than us," she observed, "It's sad that You-Know-Who is influencing them at such young ages!"

"Younger minds are easier to corrupt," said Remus sagely. "It's simply a question of being offered the opportunity to gain power." Together, they began to walk cautiously towards the gate. There were no unpleasant surprises, though she was sure that the alarm had been raised, and she prayed that the others had been able to move into the house unseen.

They entered the house stealthily, and crept forward. Lily instinctively raised her wand when she spotted someone on the ground, but it looked like the figure had been knocked out. "They came in safely," she whispered with relief. Her heart leapt as she saw the staircase; she was sure that the others had gone upstairs… But they still had to make sure that their floor was clear. "Let's check out all the rooms," she whispered, and Remus nodded. The pair of them crept noiselessly towards an entrance to another room… As soon as she peeked in, however, Lily's blood ran cold as she spied two masked figures standing over the prone form of someone with black hair –

" _Stupefy!_ " she screamed, simultaneously jumping into the room; one of the Death Eaters crumpled to the floor. Behind her, Remus shouted, " _Silencio!_ " Lily figured that he'd put the Charm on the entire room, to prevent the noise they were making from raising the alarm.

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " the other thug roared, and Lily dived aside to avoid the Killing Curse for a second time that night. "Remus – take Marlene and get out!" she screamed, as he shot a Stunner at the Death Eater, who blocked it lazily. " _Atrufumus!_ " she yelled, and black smoke billowed from her wand; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus levitate Marlene towards himself. "Go!" she shouted at him, for he looked indecisive – but at that moment, a gust of wind blew the smoke away, leaving her exposed. " _Stupefy!_ " she yelled, just as her opponent screamed, " _Damnum iecoris!_ "

Both jets of lights met midway – and rebounded upon their casters. " _Protego!_ " shouted Lily, and the Shield Charm protected her from her own Stunning Spell – but her opponent wasn't quick enough. His own Curse hit him, followed by the Stunner – and he went down like the others, too. Lily quickly paralyzed both Death Eaters, and put them under the Sleeping Charm before hurrying back towards Remus.

"How is she?" she asked fretfully, and Remus shook his head. "She has a pulse – it's strong but slow. Not sure what Curse she was hit with, but she needs Healer attention."

She examined the room, and noticed two other hooded figures lying unconscious. _Marlene must have taken them out to give buy the others time_ , she thought with mingled admiration and worry. She scanned the room and caught sight of another entrance. " _Colloportus!_ " she exclaimed, and the entrance sealed itself. She turned towards Remus, who was still trying to revive Marlene. "No luck," he said tightly, "She came around for a few seconds – but she passed out again. She was really groggy…"

"All right," said Lily decisively. "Take one of these masks so that no one stops you. Go out, go to the trees, and try to do what you can for her…"

"What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to help the others," she said grimly. "The mask will allow me to move unimpeded."

"I have a better plan," said Remus. "I'll take her to the trees, a safe distance away from the house – and if I can't help her, I'm going to come back and help you all instead." His tone was firm, and she knew that it would be useless to argue. She nodded and said, "All right, then."

"I don't want to leave you alone – but you're duelling a lot better than you did at the start of this year, so I know that you'll be safe," he said, and grinned at her reassuringly. Then his expression turned sombre. "This lot mean business, Lily – they tried to kill us, and it was only because their aim stank that we're still here. Stay safe, OK?" His brown eyes were intense.

"Don't worry – I'll be fine," she said confidently. "Now – go." He obeyed, and placed a mask from one of the Death Eaters on Marlene's face. " _Mobilicorpus_ ," he whispered, and walked away slowly whilst levitating their friend in front of him. Lily watched him go with trepidation, knowing that she was quite alone…

A quick tour of the ground floor was enough for her to understand that the others had been as thorough as her; she came across at least six unconscious thugs before returning to the main room. She stealthily made her way back towards the stairs and began to ascend them, feeling sure that Potter's parents were probably being held in a room on the top floor…

As she came up to the first floor, she found Liz and Black engaged in battle with three Death Eaters. It looked like Liz was defending herself and Black while he went for the offensive spells; she hurried forward to help just as Black Stunned one of the Death Eaters.

Liz spotted her and yelled, "There's another one!" She pointed her wand at Lily and shot a Stunner, but it missed – immediately, Lily pulled off her mask. "It's me!" she yelled, and shot a Body-bind Curse at one of the Death Eaters who had stopped duelling, thinking that the new arrival was on their side –

"Lily!" Liz exclaimed. "Go – we have this under control – help James!" Her Shield Charm stopped the worst of another Curse, and there came a yell from behind them as two more Death Eaters arrived at the base of the stairs. "Go!" Liz yelled again, and Lily didn't need to be told twice; Liz and Black kept the goons distracted while she made her way up the stairs to the second floor.

She came across Potter engaged in a ferocious duel with a solitary Death Eater. The walls next to them had large chunks removed from them, and the half the banisters of the staircase were missing. " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Potter yelled, but his Curse missed, and his adversary laughed jeeringly. "You're going to have to better than that to reach your worthless parents, boy!" he shouted derisively. He shot a jet of yellow light at Potter, who dodged it; and as he moved, she noted to her astonishment that Potter was still clutching his broomstick. She stepped forward.

" _Stupefy!_ " she yelled, jumping into the fray. The man focused his attention on her instead, and Potter saw an opening; he shot an Impediment Jinx, a Stunner, and a Body-Bind Curse at the thug in quick succession – the man was able to block the first two, but the Body-Bind Curse hit its mark, and the goon fell back, rigid and stiff as a board.

"Thanks, Evans," acknowledged Potter as he stepped forward to examine the man he'd just Cursed. He drew back, and kicked the man hard on his ribs. "That's what you deserve for kidnapping my parents, you scumbag!" he said dangerously. Clearly, he'd recognized the man as Jugson, the main perpetrator of the whole deed.

"They're here!" came a yell, and Lily's reprimand to Potter caught in her throat. She whipped around to see three new figures running towards them, wands raised. "Run!" she yelled, and followed Potter straight ahead into a room which had its door open. Just as she entered the room, however, she heard someone scream, " _Toxicus sanguinem!_ "

"Ouch!" she exclaimed as the Curse hit her ankle; she could feel a dull sort of pain. Incensed, she turned around and screamed, " _Flammunda!_ "

The Fire Wave erupted from her wand, and it was powerful enough to bodily throw the three Death Eaters ten feet into the wall behind them; she was sure that they'd been burnt as well. She quickly turned to Potter, who was watching her with mingled worry and astonishment. There was another exit at the other end of the room.

"What're you waiting for?" she yelled at him, "Go – find your parents! I'll hold them off!"

"But –"

"I said, go! NOW!"

"No! You're hurt!"

"My ankle's _fine_ , Potter! Your parents need you!" she implored. She could resist that Curse for some time, couldn't she? He looked irresolute, and she screamed, "Dammit, Potter! I'm not going to repeat myself – GO!"

That seemed to get through to him. "I'll be back in five minutes!" he assured her, and sprinted towards the exit. She turned her attention to the door frame, just in time to see a hooded figure sprint in her direction. The thug shot a jet of blue light at her, and she screamed, " _Flammunda!_ " once again. The Fire Wave erupted from her wand as before, and absorbed the unfriendly Curse. She coaxed the fire into a sheet form, blocking the doorway completely. She retreated to a corner of the room, away from the Unforgiveable Curses she was sure would penetrate her makeshift flame barrier and sure enough, a jet of green light shot straight through the fire and hit the opposite wall, leaving a sizzling hole in it.

She concentrated with all her might, hoping and praying that Potter would come back soon. She was confident that she could hold on for ten minutes at least, but the numbing pain in her ankle, where the Dark Curse she had no knowledge of had hit her, was starting to spread. She wasn't even sure if she could feel her ankle anymore…

She could feel beads of sweat on her forehead as she concentrated hard to keep the fire barrier up. The pain was starting to weaken her, but she kept her spell up through sheer force of will. Her strategy was simple; stand out of the way, and let the Unforgiveable Curses pass through the sheet of fire – not even one had hit her so far. Any other spell had simply been absorbed…

Each minute seemed like an age to Lily. She could sense that her barrier was being hit by jets of water – each hit felt like a hammer to her wand hand, such was its impact. But she still held on, willing the blockade to stay up – and it did. The minutes trickled by slowly, and the Fire Wave stayed up as strongly as it had when she'd cast it…

But it had been far too long. Potter had promised he'd be back in five minutes, but there was no sign of him. She prayed that Liz and the others were OK… But if help didn't arrive soon, how were they going to escape? Would they die here, in the middle of some random house in Wales?

 _No_ , said the strong voice inside her head. She doubled her effort, but she could feel her energy being sapped at a faster rate… The process was obviously accelerated by the Curse she'd been hit with, and the numbing pain which had now spread to her entire leg. She gritted her teeth – she had to buy Potter enough time to somehow blast his parents out of that room and send them home… _That's probably why he had his broomstick_ , she thought, as realization dawned to her. They would no doubt be in bad shape… But they could still escape on the broom…

There was a tiny part of her brain that was annoyed with Potter, though. How could he leave her alone like that, to stall? He prided himself for being chivalrous and noble, didn't he? Well – where was that famous gallantry now?

She shook herself. Hadn't she herself told him to go?

She was relying on the reinforcements that Peter and Mary would undoubtedly send… But what if they were too late? What if the Death Eaters broke through her fire barrier? Already, she could feel it weakening… Someone was spraying water at it with renewed strength. She could feel the water evaporating, but the impact from each jet felt like a hammer blow to her wrist, sapping some of the power from her spell…

She couldn't hold on much longer. Her Fire Wave began to flicker, and to her horror, a water jet blasted its way past the flames. _No_ , _come on!_ she thought, but she was utterly exhausted… Her injured leg wouldn't support her weight any longer, and she fell to her knees. She closed her eyes hopelessly and resigned herself to her fate as the flames grew dangerously low –

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:** That's right, another cliffhanger. I'm starting to enjoy those, myself!


	52. Chapter 51

Thanks for the reviews, CB, Anna, Guest and hpgirl. Cheers!

 **Anna:** Read on! Oh, and you're welcome!

 **CB:** Thanks! I hope this one is even better, I certainly think so. Let me know!

 **Guest:** Haha! C'mon, cliffhangers are fun! Anyway – here you go. Enjoy!

 **hpgirl:** Thank you for pointing that one out, I myself confused the names of the moons between the biggest one (Ganymede) and the only one with an atmosphere (Titan). I've made the change. Thanks!

Hello everyone, here is chapter fifty-one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fifty-One**

" **James."**

"No! _Tempestas!_ "

The stormy gale came out of nowhere, and Lily's flickering flames suddenly returned to their former glory. Astonished, she turned around to see James Potter with his wand raised, blowing air into the fire, causing it to burn brighter than ever.

"You came!" she managed to choke out.

Potter gave her a swift smile – a smile that inexplicably sent a warm wave of relief through her body, warm as the fire was still coming out of her wand. "Just in the nick of time, by the looks of it!" he shouted.

"A couple of minutes ago would've been nicer!" she returned dryly, and Potter gave a chuckle. "Can't win them all," he yelled, smirking. Then his face became serious. "You can't give up now, Evans," he shouted, diving to his left to dodge a jet of green light. "I can't raise an Air shield – so we need your barrier to last longer! Give me some fire – come on! I know how fit and strong you are – you can do it!"

"I'm exhausted – I can't hold on much longer!" she shouted fretfully. The pain was now near her waist, inching up slowly but surely.

"'Course you can!" Potter shouted back. "You're a remarkable person, Lily Evans – if it's anyone I can trust with this, it's you!"

Buoyed by his encouragement, she concentrated with renewed vigour, and a fresh wave of fire erupted from her wand to feed the barrier, which suddenly glowed brighter than it had ever been… And what was more, it seemed a lot stronger, too. "Wow!" she exclaimed in wonder, "How did it become so powerful?"

"That's because air makes it stronger, Evans," said Potter, a trace of impatience in his voice. "Fire is the best element for attack, because the elements that are weak against it – are weak simply because they make it stronger. Air makes it burn with triple strength, and Light will make it blindingly bright, to buy the caster ample time to make their next move!"

She stared at him, astounded. "How do you know that?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

"Contrary to popular opinion – I _do_ study, Evans," he retorted, and she laughed despite the precarious situation they were in. "Air makes Fire stronger… Those goons can do what they like – so long as we stay out of the way of the Unforgiveables, we should be fine!"

"Did you find your parents?" she asked urgently; after all, that was the whole bloody point of this risky operation, wasn't it? He nodded tightly and shouted, "Yep – they were in a room beyond that exit, and no one was even guarding their door – can you believe that? Anyway – I got them to take my broomstick – Mum's going to fly it outside the perimeter of this house, and alert the Ministry for help – if they haven't come already, that is."

"How are they?" she asked tensely, dreading the answer.

"Not good," said Potter, his voice shaking with anger and worry. "I should've done more than broken that bloody bugger's ribs – I suppose Dad may need to spend some time in St Mungo's, but Mum seemed OK – given the circumstances."

"Why did you come back? Why didn't you escape with your parents?" she shouted over the gale's whooshing noise. Potter shook his head. "I couldn't leave you – any of you!" he exclaimed. "You were all risking your lives for my sake – how can I escape like a coward and leave you to fight on your own?"

"Well – I'm glad you came back," she said truthfully. "Honestly, I was starting to feel so weak –"

"Yes – the Curse!" he shouted, moving towards her while keeping his wand pointed to the flame barrier and dodging a jet of green light in the process. Her pulse quickened as she witnessed him evade certain death, just like she had twice already… "D'you remember what it was?" he asked, kneeling down next to her at last and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder; his other hand held his wand which kept the gale up, continuously hitting the flames with a jet of air and keeping them from dying out.

"The incantation sounded like – _Toxicus Sanguinem_ ," she said uneasily. "I dunno what that does, Potter –"

"It's Dark Magic, no doubt," he said heavily. "Dammit, Evans – why did you let me go forward, then?" He sounded angry. "I could've helped you, but no-o-o – you just _had_ to –"

"The whole point was to find your parents, Potter," she interrupted, panting with the effort of her spell – but the blockade remained intact, no doubt strengthened by Potter's gale. "And I could take a little bit of discomfort if I could buy you some more time –"

"But not at the cost of your own well-being!" he snapped.

"I did what I had to do, Potter!" she snapped back. "And you're such a hypocrite – didn't you do the same thing when you saved Severus? Did you think of your own well-being then?"

That seemed to shut him up. Grinning triumphantly, Lily refocused her attention on the flame barrier, ignoring the pain that was now in the region of her chest. Someone was shooting water jets at it again, but thanks to Potter's stormy wind, they felt like simple taps on her wrist. She coughed slightly, feeling anxious… What was the Curse going to do? Cause her to faint? Indeed, she was weakening…

"I'm so – so, _tired_ ," she whispered, and Potter shook her slightly. "C'mon, Evans – I know you're tired, but just a bit more," he coaxed. "Help is almost here – any time now. I'm sure my mother has been able to contact the Ministry… And Pete and Mary would've raised the alarm, too… Just a few minutes longer…"

"I can't," she whispered, and her wand dipped lower. At once, the flames began to grow weaker… Potter grabbed her wand hand with his free hand, and redirected her wand to the flame barrier. He shot more air into it, but it didn't help… "I can't strengthen it if you can't keep it up, Evans!" he exclaimed. "You can do this – I believe in you! I know you can – c'mon!"

"Too tired," she whispered. Tears of frustration came to her eyes, she couldn't help it. She wanted to keep going, but her head was starting to swim, and she could feel energy draining out of her body and into the Fire which she struggled to keep up. It had already been fifteen minutes at least – she knew that she'd exceeded her capacity.

Potter rubbed her back gently, comfortingly… "Look, Evans," he said softly, "I know you can do this, OK? I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. It was difficult for you, the training I put the team through – but your tenacity, your perseverance, your persistence… It was incredible." There was a smile on his face. "One can be the greatest wizard in the world – but if one doesn't have endurance – the ability to use and keep up powerful, energy-sapping spells – one is useless. After the strongest spells have been cast, it is endurance that matters… For it is by endurance – by endurance we conquer."

She gazed at him steadily, and he continued in that same gentle way, " _F_ _uérimus in patientia_ , Evans… _By endurance we conquer._ I know that you never give up… Well, now would be a good time to show me how – how _indomitable_ you really are."

She knew that he was trying to inspire her – and what was more, it was working. _He's right_ , said the strong voice inside her head… _I can't give up now!_ With a Herculean effort, she dug into her reserves of strength, and concentrated with all her might. The weakening flames were suddenly revived, and the barrier was back up to full strength. "That's it," encouraged Potter, maintaining his firm grip on her hand, "You're doing wonderfully! I'm proud of you!" he exclaimed. "If I'd known that quoting some fancy Latin would do the trick, I'd have done it much sooner!"

She gave him a little smile… His presence was certainly helping. She marvelled at his ability to keep his own spell up as he helped her; didn't he ever get tired? She couldn't _believe_ they'd been able to hold the Death Eaters off for so long… She was worried about the others, though. Marlene – hit by a Curse they had no knowledge of… Black and Liz duelling so many Death Eaters – Remus, probably assisting them… _Dammit_ , she thought. _There are too many of those thugs!_

"D'you think help is here already?" Potter asked, cutting into her thoughts. "There've been no Curses through the barrier for two minutes at least –"

"James!" came a shout, and they turned around, alarmed – but it was a tall, broad-shouldered wizard with a single gold hoop earring who stood right behind them. "Kingsley!" Potter shouted in relief, and the black wizard smiled. "Well done, James – and I take it this is Miss Evans?" said Kingsley. He had a deep, slow voice, which reassured Lily at once. She nodded, and the man's grin grew wider. "Aurors are taking down Death Eaters as we speak… By the time your Mum contacted us, we were already on the way – two kids barged into the Ministry with an incredible tale – friends of yours?"

"Yup," said Potter, smiling back at the Auror. He let the storm vanish, and Lily's flames followed suit. Potter let go of her hand, and she suddenly realized that she couldn't have lasted so long if it hadn't been for his assistance…

Kingsley watched silently before saying admiringly, "Looks like you did one hell of a job – keeping at least five of them at bay like that is no easy matter."

Lily smiled at the praise, but felt a sudden wave of anxiety and fear – she couldn't quite explain it. She felt dizzy, and spots appeared before her eyes. A white mist descended upon her, and she knew no more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She opened her eyes and tried to look around, but her head felt too heavy. It was dark and quiet, and she could tell that she was lying in a bed, tucked underneath two blankets… _Where am I?_ she thought fretfully, before her eyes adjusted to the dim light; she could make out several outlines of beds in the room, which looked familiar. With a flash of realization, she understood that she was in the Hospital Wing, back at Hogwarts.

She tried to sit up, and groaned… She was feeling thirsty. Her head still felt heavy, leaving her groggy as a result. She caught sight of a chair to her right – someone was sitting in it, evidently asleep. She squinted, trying to make out who it was – it was someone with glasses, and untidy black hair…

She groaned softly once again, and Potter stirred before jerking awake. Immediately, his eyes went to her, and he leaned close… "Evans!" he whispered urgently. "How're you feeling?"

"Water," she managed to whisper, and he immediately poured some into a glass from the jug on her bedside. He gently lifted her head, and helped her drink it… "Easy there," he said gently, and she took a few grateful sips; the room became clearer and his worried face came into focus. She lay back in bed, and let out a little sigh.

"How're you feeling?" he asked again, his hazel eyes worried.

"Awful," she said softly. "My head hurts, and my ankle feels like a hippogriff stomped on it…"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah – Madam Pomfrey said that would happen, and that you may have to spend at least two days in the Hospital Wing," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "But she also said you're going to be just fine…" He smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"Ugh," she moaned, trying to ignore the throbbing ache in her ankle, "What happened?"

"You were Cursed," Potter said simply, and she remembered at once – the house in Wales, the battle with the Death Eaters, the fire barrier – it all came back to her. "Your parents!" she whispered urgently, "How –?"

"They're fine – they're going to be all right," he said softly, smiling in relief. "Dad's in St Mungo's – but he'll be out in a couple of days. Mum's there with him now, she said she'll send me regular updates…"

Relief swept through Lily momentarily, but cold fear soon replaced it. "And the others?" she asked uneasily, fretfully… "Are they –?"

"All fine," he said reassuringly, and she exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "We all made it back safe and sound – Madam Pomfrey said it was a miracle, really, that none of us suffered any long-term injuries. Liz and Sirius held their own against five Death Eaters – yes, five," he added proudly. "Liz told me they Disillusioned themselves and used diversionary spells – _Lumos Intensum_ , _Umbra Unda_ , _Obscuro_ and the like. Kept the Death Eaters distracted for long enough… Skilful duelling, really."

"And Marlene? Remus?" she asked, wanting to hear more.

"Well – Marlene was knocked out by a Curse similar to a Stunner," said Potter. "Remus was able to revive her within a few minutes – she's OK, too. She waited outside for the Aurors while he went back in to help Liz and Sirius… They're all fine – just tired, so they're spending quality time in dreamland. The best cure for exhaustion is a good night's rest, I always say…"

Relief swept through her at once. So, her friends were OK… "And Mary and Peter? They sent the Aurors, right?" she asked, and Potter grinned. "Yup," he said cheerfully, "They made it to the Ministry and sneaked into the Auror Office – Mary distracted the watchwizard and Peter made his way in whilst Disillusioned… He was able to convince the Aurors, and Mum was able to get a message to them just as they were leaving – that accelerated the process. The Aurors stormed the house and managed to capture all the goons – even Jugson." He relaxed back into his chair. "Pete and Mary were sent back by Redbeard, though – he Flooed them back to Hogwarts himself before setting off to help everyone else."

"Redbeard? What was he doing at the Ministry?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"He's a former Auror, see? He was just having a cup of tea – it was Friday evening, the OWLs had just ended, he wanted to meet his colleagues… Lucky he was there, though – Pete had an easier time convincing the Aurors because of him," replied Potter.

Lily nodded, drinking all this in. Then she asked, "Where's Liz?"

"Sleeping – it's nearly daybreak, you've been out for the better part of the last six hours," he responded. "Liz told me how Redbeard whisked them directly to this place from that bleeding house, they barely had enough time to Summon their brooms… They were here when Redbeard brought you, and Liz was sitting with you till two o'clock – she didn't want you to – to wake up alone, see? Then once I got back from St Mungo's – I told her to go to bed, that I'd stay here…" He blushed slightly.

Lily nodded pensively once again. "Ugh," she said, frowning, "That bloody Curse is giving me an awful headache… The last thing I remember is the arrival of that Kingsley bloke – after that, everything's a blank – until now."

"You gave me quite a fright, y'know," said Potter softly. "You sort of had a fit, or something… It was because of that Curse." There was relief mingled with concern in his hazel eyes. "Redbeard did something, and a Healer from St Mungo's reversed the Curse – then Redbeard brought you to Hogwarts…"

"I see," she said slowly. She made a mental note to thank Redbeard… "What happened? How did you get your parents out?" she asked, "Did you blast a hole through the wall?"

Potter grinned. "Which version d'you want – the short one or the long one?" he asked.

"Er – the long one," said Lily, wanting to know everything. "It's not like I have anything else to do right now," she added dryly. He smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Very well, then," he said, "It happened like this…"

XXXXX James's POV XXXXX

James uneasily watched Remus and Evans hurry away before turning back to the others. "Right," he said, trying to shake off the feeling of worry in his gut, "Once they cause a diversion – we're going in! Everyone ready?"

"I was born ready," Sirius said confidently, and James resisted an urge to roll his eyes. It was a fact that out of the two of them, Sirius was definitely cockier… "I meant, we need to Disillusion ourselves," he said forcefully. Raising his wand, he muttered, " _Pellucidus_." At once, he took the colour and appearance of the brown tree trunk behind him, and the others imitated him – all he could make out were their blurry outlines, but he could at least tell where they were at a very crude level. He grabbed his broomstick and Disillusioned it, too.

"Why the broom?" Marlene asked.

"I know that my parents are on the second floor," he said grimly. "I'd do the same thing – if I were the one holding people hostage. Ergo, my plan is to blast the window open as soon as we find them, so that they can escape on my broom."

There was a pause, following which Liz said, "Ingenious."

"Thank you," said James, "Now – let's move towards the gate slowly…"

The gate came in their line of vision just as four figures sprinted away from it. "They've done it – now's our chance!" James whispered, and together, the four of them ran through the open gate, stopping only when they came up to the door – just as a masked figure opened it and stepped out, evidently looking for the source of the disturbance.

" _Stupefy!_ " James said softly, and the man crumpled to the floor. They crossed the threshold and stepped inside the house. "Hang on," came Liz's voice, "We should drag this goon inside – that way, the ones outside won't smell a rat immediately if they come in to ask for reinforcements."

James was doubtful of this proposition, but he waved his wand, whispering, " _Mobilicorpus!_ " The goon's unconscious form levitated into the house, and Marlene shut the door. James spotted a staircase at once, and there were two doors that branched off from the room they stood in.

"Right," James whispered, "Here's the strategy – we go from room to room, we have to make sure that my parents are not on this floor. One of us puts Silencing Charms on the room as soon as we enter, and the others take care of the goons. Got that?"

"Yes," came three voices, and Marlene added, "I'll take care of the Silencing Charms."

"Instead of the remaining three going on offence, one of us should be in charge of defence, too," said Liz softly. _She has a point_ , thought James. _Not a good idea to brazenly attack head on, now that I think about it…_ "I'll take care of it," Liz added.

"Which leaves you and me for attack, Prongs," came Sirius's voice. James nodded (though the others couldn't see him) and said, "Yes – now, let's go."

They entered the room on the left, and came across two Death Eaters. " _Silencio_ ," Marlene whispered behind them, and James raised his wand. " _Protego_ ," came Liz's voice, and they went on the offensive… " _Stupefy!_ " he and Sirius screamed in unison, and the two goons, caught unawares, crumpled to the floor. "That was easy," said Sirius, and chuckled.

"Don't get cocky, Padfoot," warned James. "There may be several others…"

They exited the room through another door, and entered another. This time, there was a solitary goon in that room… " _Stupefy!_ " shouted James, and the goon went down just like the previous ones. _Padfoot is right – this is too easy_ , James thought… And at that moment, four thugs entered the room, wands raised – no doubt alerted by the sound of the first goon going down.

 _I spoke too soon_ , James thought, yelling, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " The Curse was blocked, and the four of them began to duel their opponents in earnest. James's opponent shot a jet of blue light at him, a Curse which he dodged… " _Locomotor mortis!_ " he shouted, and the Leg-Locker Curse immediately glued his opponent's legs together. "You swine! Show yourself!" the man roared. " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

James quickly dived aside, shaken… It was the first time that the Killing Curse had been shot at him, and it was only his Quidditch reflexes that had saved his skin. Rage filled him, and he yelled, " _Ventus Dromonem!_ " The Wind Cutter sliced through the man's arm, leaving a deep cut. The man yelled out in pain, and James took the opportunity to Stun him before helping the others with their opponents. The four of them stood over their opponents, panting.

 _I'm starting to regret bringing this broomstick_ , James thought. _It's impeding me…_ "That may have been everyone on the floor," he said tersely. "C'mon – upstairs!" He led the way back to the main room, presuming that the others were following him; it was hard to tell with the Disillusionment Charms.

"Wait," cautioned Marlene as they stood near the base of the staircase. "Look – there're two of them standing on the first floor." A single look told James that she was right. Before he could say anything, however, she whispered, "I have an idea – I'm going to cause a diversion. When they run downstairs – you just climb! Leave them to me."

"Mar – are you –"

"Yes, Liz, I'm sure." James heard the tight note in his friend's voice. "Do it, please."

"OK," he whispered, just as Sirius said, "Take care, Mar."

There was no reply, but at the next moment, a vase which had hitherto been on a table in the main room flew rapidly up the stairs, right at one of the goons. The ploy worked – the two goons came running downstairs just as Marlene revealed herself and ran into one of the rooms. Watching uneasily as the thugs chased her, James and the others ran upstairs. _I hope she'll be OK_ , thought James tensely… _Please let her be OK…_

On the first floor, they ran into three other goons. Perhaps the thugs heard something, for one of them exclaimed, "Someone's here! _Homenum Revelio!_ "

The sensation of being X-rayed was apparent, and the second goon yelled, " _Resurgo Totalum!_ " James felt as though someone had poured something warm down his neck – with a horrible blast of recognition, he understood that his Disillusionment Charm had been lifted. "Run, James!" Sirius screamed as he raised a Shield Charm to protect them all from three jets of red light. James obeyed at once as Liz came to Sirius's aid, and shouted, " _Umbra Unda!_ "

The first floor became engulfed in all-consuming darkness as James made his getaway, clutching his broomstick tightly. He hated himself for leaving his friends alone… But someone had to find his parents, and if his friends were willing to stall for time and help him out, he was not going to let them down. _I_ won't _let them down_ , he thought firmly to himself as he climbed up to the second floor and headed straight ahead.

He came to an abrupt halt as another masked figure stood in front of him with its wand raised. He quickly raised his own wand as the other man removed his mask. He felt a rush of hatred as he recognized the Death Eater… "Jugson," he said with suppressed rage, and the man's bestial face split into an evil grin. "Well, well, well – James Potter," he said, venom in his words, "I have to hand it to you – I am surprised to see you here, how in the world did you find us?"

"You really _are_ stupider than you look," snapped James. "How in the world did you think I'd do what you said?"

"It was a long shot, anyway – I was going to kill your filthy parents after collecting the money," said the Death Eater, licking his lips. Then he raised his wand. "Enough talk – _Avada Kedavra!_ " he yelled.

For the second time that night, James dived aside to avoid the jet of green light. " _Stupefy!_ " he shouted, but the Death Eater deflected his Stunner lazily. Jets of light flew from his wand, and James defended desperately, looking for an opening… Jugson was clearly a skilled dueller, and James could see that he was being outclassed here. How the hell was he supposed to defeat this creep if he wasn't even getting an opportunity to use an offensive spell?

Jugson wasn't playing around, either – he repeatedly used Unforgiveable Curses, which James dodged successfully thanks to his heightened reflexes; however, the spells proceeded to cause damage to the banisters behind him, and the walls of the passage as well… Clutching his broomstick even tighter, her shouted, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " – but Jugson dodged it and laughed jeeringly. "You're going to have to better than that to reach your worthless parents, boy!" he shouted disdainfully. He shot a jet of yellow light which James dodged – and spotted someone in his peripheral vision.

 _Evans!_ he thought in astonishment, just as she yelled, " _Stupefy!_ " Jugson blocked it and pointed his wand at her instead, and James finally saw an opening. " _Impedimenta! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!_ " he screamed, shooting spells one after another… Jugson blocked the first two, but the Body-Bind Curse hit its mark, and the thug fell back, rigid and stiff as a board. He let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Evans," he said, before stepping forward to examine Jugson. Hatred filled him, and he violently kicked the man hard on his ribs. "That's what you deserve for kidnapping my parents, you scumbag!" he spat dangerously.

"They're here!" came a yell, and trepidation clutched his heart – they'd been found. "Run!" Evans screamed, and he sprinted straight ahead into a room which had its door open; to his relief, he could hear her following him a little distance behind… He heard a voice shout out an incantation, and Evans exclaimed, "Ouch!" He turned around in alarm just as she screamed, " _Flammunda!_ "

The Fire Wave erupted from her wand, and James watched in astonishment as it bodily threw three Death Eaters ten feet into the wall behind them. She turned to him and shouted, "What're you waiting for? Go – find your parents! I'll hold them off!"

"But –"

"I said, go! NOW!"

"No! You're hurt!" he said urgently. Why else would she have exclaimed? He was sure she'd been hit by a Curse; he couldn't just leave her.

"My ankle's fine, Potter! Your parents need you!" she said pleadingly, her emerald eyes boring into his own… _What should I do?_ he thought desperately. He wanted to stay and help – but he was so close to finding his parents – he was sure they were on this floor. But before he could say anything, Evans yelled, "Dammit, Potter! I'm not going to repeat myself – GO!"

In a split second, he made his decision. "I'll be back in five minutes!" he assured her, and sprinted towards the exit… He spotted another door, which was padlocked, and felt a leap of excitement. "Mum!" he yelled as soon as he came up to the door, and banged it loudly. "Dad! Are you in there?"

He heard movement from within the room, and a familiar voice called, "James? Sweetheart, is that you?"

"Mum!" he exclaimed, feeling an indescribable sense of relief. "Stand back – I'm coming in!" He wasn't going to wait around. "Go ahead!" his came his Mum's voice, and he raised his wand. " _Confringo!_ " he yelled, and the Blasting Curse blew the door open. He stepped into the room hurriedly.

"Oh, Jamie!" said Mrs Potter, and pulled him into a bone-jarring hug. "Oh, darling – I thought – I thought –"

"It's OK, Mum – I'm here now," he said soothingly. "How's Dad?"

He extricated himself from Mrs Potter and felt a dull blow in the region of his stomach… His Dad, his father, lay on the floor with a little blood next to his prone form. He looked unconscious. A surge of rage ran through James's veins… "His injuries aren't too serious, James," Mrs Potter tried to reassure him. "He'll make a full recovery…"

"Right," he managed to choke out, still unable to believe it. "D'you have a wand?" His mother shook her head, and he roughly handed her the broomstick. "You have to fly out of here," he instructed urgently. "Take Dad – fly out, and call the Aurors! I'm sure Peter and Mary are already at the Ministry – but no one's here yet, which means that no one's believed them! _Call the Aurors, Mum!_ "

Mrs Potter stared at him as if he were mad. "I'm not leaving here without you, son," she said firmly. James shook his head and said tightly, "My friends – they're duelling scores of Death Eaters downstairs – and one is even holding at least three goons off on this very floor just to buy me more time. So – no, Mum," he added firmly, "I'm _not_ going to leave them – they need my help. But I need you to leave – and call the Aurors. Please – there's no time!" He was pleading, willing his mother to listen…

To his relief, she nodded. "All right, then," she said, and mounted the broomstick. Together, they helped a still-groggy Mr Potter on the broom, behind his mother. James performed a quick Charm to keep his father upright on the broom. "Right – now, I'm going to blast this wall open, and you're going to fly out," he said, his eyes narrowed, and his mother looked fearful. He gave her a reassuring smile and said, "With luck – I'll join you at St Mungo's within the hour. Take care!" He raised his wand.

"Wait!" his mother shouted. He looked at her, confused, but she merely gave him a gentle smile. "I'm so proud of you, son," she whispered, and there were tears in her eyes. James felt his eyes grow moist, and he deliberately looked away… "Thanks," he choked out, and pointed his wand at the wall he was sure faced the outside of the house. " _Confringo!_ " he screamed, and the wall broke open; cold, refreshing night air blew into the room at once.

"See you!" he yelled, and indicated his mother to fly out of the room. She gave him a swift smile and the thumbs-up, and kicked off from the ground. He watched her fly out of the hole, before sprinting back to the room where he'd left Evans. The mere fact that no one had been able to follow him spoke volumes of Evans's ability to hold off the Death Eaters, and he marvelled at how she'd been able to do it. He arrived into the room and saw a sheet of fire at the other entrance – _that's how she did it_ , he thought. _A Fire Wave as a shield! That's incredible!_ He spotted her at once – she was panting with the effort of keeping her spellwork up. _Dammit, I never should've left her alone!_ he thought, angry with himself.

At that moment, to his horror, a water jet blasted its way through the sheet of flames, and he understood – he'd been gone far too long, and Evans was probably exhausted by now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fall to her knees. "No!" he shouted desperately; he had to help her out… And the only way to do that was to strengthen the fire barrier. An idea came to him.

" _Tempestas!_ " he yelled, and the stormy gale erupted from his wand and flew to the sheet of fire at once, supplying it with some much-needed oxygen. _Air strengthens Fire_ , he thought happily as the flickering flames suddenly glowed more intensely than before, and returned to their shape of completely blocking the doorway.

"You came!" said a tired voice, and his gaze went to Lily Evans – the girl he was sure was the love of his life – he hated himself for leaving her like that, though admittedly his parents' need had been greater than hers. Well, he was back now – and he intended to make amends. He gave her a quick smile and shouted, "Just in the nick of time, by the looks of it!"

"A couple of minutes ago would've been nicer!" she returned, and he chuckled. _Always the dry wit_ , he thought. "Can't win them all," he said, smirking. But his smile faded immediately – she looked exhausted, and he knew that if they were to stand any chance of survival, her fiery barrier was essential… He didn't know how to manipulate the Air Wave into a shield. He had to help her…

"You can't give up now, Evans," he shouted – at that moment, a jet of green light came his way, and he dived to his left to dodge it. He shuddered slightly – it wasn't the first time he'd evaded death that night… _Thank God for my reflexes_ , he thought fervently. Aloud, he addressed her, "I can't raise an Air shield – so we need your barrier to last longer! Give me some fire – come on! I know how fit and strong you are – you can do it!" It was true, after all… He'd been thrilled when she'd asked him if she could practise with the team, and he'd watched with growing pride as she'd increased her physical fitness and endurance with a dogged determination.

"I'm exhausted – I can't hold on much longer!" she shouted, worry on her face. He swore inwardly; it wouldn't do any good if she didn't _believe_ that she could…

"'Course you can!" he shouted back encouragingly. "You're a remarkable person, Lily Evans – if it's anyone I can trust with this, it's you!" It was true – she was one of the most strong-willed people he knew. Her tenacity rivalled his own when he was asking her out – _no, you can't think about that now_ , he reminded himself.

His encouragement seemed to have worked, for a fresh wave of fire erupted from her wand to feed the barrier, which suddenly glowed brighter than it had ever been… "Wow!" she exclaimed, "How did it become so powerful?"

"That's because air makes it stronger, Evans," he said impatiently. "Fire is the best element for attack, because the elements that are weak against it – are weak simply because they make it stronger. Air makes it burn with triple strength, and Light will make it blindingly bright, to buy the caster ample time to make their next move!"

She stared at him, surprised. "How do you know that?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.

"Contrary to popular opinion – I _do_ study, Evans," he retorted, bristling a little… Who did she think he was, some kind of idiot? But she laughed, and his irritation vanished as soon as it had come. Had he just made her laugh? He ploughed on, "Air makes Fire stronger… Those goons can do what they like – so long as we stay out of the way of the Unforgiveables, we should be fine!"

"Did you find your parents?" she asked urgently, and he was astonished – they were in a terrible position themselves, and she was still asking about his parents. _I can't believe how selfless she is_ , he thought… It was one of the reasons he was so attracted to her. He nodded tightly and shouted, "Yep – they were in a room beyond that exit, and no one was even guarding their door – can you believe that? Anyway – I got them to take my broomstick – Mum's going to fly it outside the perimeter of this house, and alert the Ministry for help – if they haven't come already, that is."

"How are they?" she asked tensely, and he felt a twinge of anger as he was reminded of his Dad's broken form, and all the blood… "Not good," he said honestly, his voice shaking with anger. "I should've done more than broken that bloody bugger's ribs – I suppose Dad may need to spend some time in St Mungo's, but Mum seemed OK – given the circumstances."

"Why did you come back? Why didn't you escape with your parents?" she shouted, and he shook his head in disbelief. How could she even ask that? "I couldn't leave you – any of you!" he yelled back. "You were all risking your lives for my sake – how can I escape like a coward and leave you to fight on your own?" It was so obvious!

"Well – I'm glad you came back," she said, and he felt heartened… "I was starting to feel so weak," she added, and he drew in a sharp breath. "Yes – the Curse!" he shouted; how could he have forgotten? Making a quick decision, he made his way towards her whilst keeping his wand pointed to the flame barrier – and dodging a jet of green light in the process. He kneeled down next to her and placed a hand on her back, and took it as a good sign that she didn't shake it off… "D'you remember what it was?" he asked gently, keeping his wand pointed at the flames and holding them steady.

"The incantation sounded like – _Toxicus Sanguinem_ ," she said, worry in her voice. "I dunno what that does, Potter –"

"It's Dark Magic, no doubt," he said heavily. He hadn't heard of that Curse, but he was sure that it was nothing good… "Dammit, Evans," he said angrily, "Why did you let me go forward, then? I could've helped you, but no-o-o – you just _had_ to –"

"The whole point was to find your parents, Potter," she panted. "And I could take a little bit of discomfort if I could buy you some more time –"

"But not at the cost of your own well-being!" he snapped.

"I did what I had to do, Potter!" she snapped back. "And you're such a hypocrite – didn't you do the same thing when you saved Severus? Did you think of your own well-being then?"

He drew in another sharp breath – she was right, he'd done the same thing when he'd pulled that greasy git away from Remus – in his wolf form, no less. She gave him a triumphant grin, before coughing slightly – he could see that her strength was slipping. _No_ , he thought, willing her to keep up her spell… _Come on, you can do this, Evans!_

"I'm so – so, tired," she whispered, and he shook her slightly. "C'mon, Evans – I know you're tired, but just a bit more," he coaxed – it was all he could do. "Help is almost here – any time now. I'm sure my mother has been able to contact the Ministry… And Pete and Mary would've raised the alarm, too… Just a few minutes longer…" He knew they were empty words, but it had been more than half an hour since he'd talked to Peter. Where the hell _were_ they?

"I can't," she whispered – her face was horribly pale, and her wand dipped lower. At once, the flames began to grow weaker… Without thinking, he grabbed her wand hand with his free hand, and redirected it to the flame barrier. He desperately shot more air into it, but it didn't help, the flames kept losing their intensity. "I can't strengthen it if you can't keep it up, Evans!" he exclaimed urgently. "You can do this – I believe in you! I know you can – c'mon!"

"Too tired," she whispered, her emerald-green eyes piteous – and teary. She was going to need him to goad her into holding firm… Poor girl, she was almost at the end of her tether – he couldn't _bear_ to see her like that… He rubbed her back comfortingly. "Look, Evans," he said softly, "I know you can do this, OK? I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. It was difficult for you, the training I put the team through – but your tenacity, your perseverance, your persistence… It was incredible."

He smiled fondly at her and ploughed on. "One can be the greatest wizard in the world – but if one doesn't have endurance – the ability to use and keep up powerful, energy-sapping spells – one is useless. After the strongest spells have been cast, it is endurance that matters…" It was true, after all; if one lacked fortitude, one would be overpowered. He paused before continuing firmly, "For it is by endurance – by endurance we conquer."

He could see the despair in her eyes reduce as he talked to her. _It's working!_ he thought, his hopes rising with every second. The flames were barely holding on, but they were still blocking every spell that came their way. He had to keep going, he had to keep talking to her… " _F_ _uérimus in patientia_ _, Evans_ ," he said delicately, "That's my motto… _By endurance we conquer._ " He gave her another encouraging smile. "I know that you never give up… Well, now would be a good time to show me how – how _indomitable_ you really are."

He could see the resolve in her green eyes as her face screwed up in concentration, and to his relief, the flames burnt brighter once again. "That's it," he urged, maintaining his grip on her hand and holding it up. "You're doing great! I'm proud of you!" He couldn't help but feel a little happier… He was helping her, and doing it wonderfully! _It probably isn't the best time to tell her right now that the Fire Wave saps one's energy twice as fast as the Air Wave_ , he thought wryly. "If I'd known that quoting some fancy Latin would do the trick, I'd have done it much sooner!" he said instead, his tone dry, and she gave him a small smile, which melted his heart…

He quickly shoved those thoughts aside and concentrated on the circumstances they were in. He felt a horrible stab of worry as he thought of the others – Sirius and Liz, stuck duelling several Death Eaters – he hoped that they were OK, though he was _so_ worried… He hadn't seen Marlene since she'd volunteered to stay on the ground floor, giving them time to escape… And Remus, too – but Evans had made it here, so he supposed that Remus was all right. His pulse quickened – he could never forgive himself if something happened to them – it would be all his fault.

He refocused on the task at hand, and subconsciously realized something… There had been no Curses through the flames for at least two minutes. "D'you think help is here already?" he asked her, frowning thoughtfully, not daring to believe it. "There've been no Curses through the barrier for two minutes at least –"

"James!" came a familiar voice, and he turned around… Relief swept through him; he could hardly believe it – Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing behind them, his wand raised, taking in the scene. James had always liked Kingsley; there was something so – so _reassuring_ , about his deep, slow voice. "Kingsley!" he exclaimed, and the Auror grinned. "Well done, James – and I take it this is Miss Evans?" he said, and James nodded. Kingsley's grin grew wider, and he said, "Aurors are taking down Death Eaters as we speak… By the time your Mum contacted us, we were already on the way – two kids barged into the Ministry with an incredible tale – friends of yours?"

"Yup," he said, smiling back at the Auror. He let the storm vanish, and Evans's flames followed suit. He let go of her hand at once, satisfied that she was still OK… Kingsley watched silently before saying admiringly, "Looks like you did one hell of a job – keeping at least five of them at bay like that is no easy matter."

James beamed, but a movement caught his eye – to his horror, Evans had sunk to the floor, and her limbs were moving jerkily. He froze as her eyes rolled into their sockets until he could only see the whites, and her muscles spasmed uncontrollably. "Evans – Lily!" he yelled, trying desperately to shake her by the shoulder, but it was useless – she was thrashing around and foaming at her mouth.

"She's seizing!" Kingsley shouted, and pointed his wand at her. " _Relaxo!_ " he said, and her body seemed to relax a little… " _Nolite Volutabatur Spumans!_ " he added further, and she stopped seizing at once, though she remained unconscious.

"She was hit by a Curse – I think she said the incantation was _Toxicus Sanguinem_ ," James exclaimed worriedly, "But I don't know what it does!"

Kingsley let out a low whistle. "That's the Toxic Blood Curse," he said grimly. "Poisons the blood…"

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed, as all sorts of horrible thoughts came to his head. "Can you reverse it?"

"I think so," said Kingsley, frowning. "She needs Healer assistance, though – we alerted St Mungo's, I think there's a Healer downstairs –"

"No," he interrupted. "If you can cure it – please, _do it_ , Kingsley. I don't want to waste any more time!"

But at that moment, someone familiar rushed over to them – it was Redbeard. "Professor!" he exclaimed, "She was Cursed, Sir – Toxic Blood Curse –"

"Where?" Redbeard asked without preamble. James swallowed. "Her ankle – I think," he replied anxiously, and the professor removed Evans's shoes and socks – James gasped as he saw that her right ankle was an ugly bluish colour.

"Kingsley – send Healer Goldstein here at once," he ordered, and Kingsley nodded before hurrying away. "Right – c'mon, Lily," said Redbeard gently, "You're going to be fine…" He began to mutter some complex incantations, and her breathing grew easier. James let out the breath he'd been holding as the blue hue on Evans's ankle slowly began to disappear…

The Healer arrived, and bent down next to Evans's prone form. "I'll take it from here, Professor," she said reassuringly, and continued the healing process. Redbeard stood up. "Professor," said James at once, "The others – Sirius, Remus, Liz and Marlene –"

"All fine, my dear boy," said Redbeard with a slight smile, "They're exhausted – but all right. Apart from Jugson, all the thugs here were small-fry – inexperienced, but still dangerous. All the same, it was remarkable that your friends made it unscathed from all the duelling they did… Y'all are a skilful bunch, I'm proud to be your teacher," he said. James felt relief at once.

"My parents –"

"They've been taken to St Mungo's," said Redbeard. "Your friends – Miss MacDonald and Mr Pettigrew – I took them back to Hogwarts myself. The Floo network is open for Professors," he added, obviously in response to the questioning glance James gave him. "It's a good thing the Aurors have their own ways to communicate – we were convinced anyway, but your Mum's message made sure that help arrived swiftly."

"Right – er, thanks, Professor," said James fervently. He turned to the Healer and asked, "How is she?"

"She is going to be just fine," said the Healer with a little smile. "She may feel some pain in her ankle for a few days, though – that was a nasty Curse she took."

"I saw your fire barrier from the outside," said Redbeard. "It was a remarkable piece of magic, James – I suppose it's a good thing y'all paid attention in class."

"That was her, Professor," he replied quickly. "I just blew air into it to keep it strong – but without her, it would've been impossible."

"Remarkable," said Redbeard again, and there was note of admiration in his voice. "That she managed to continue after being hit by that Curse is amazing…"

"Yes, well – she is an amazing girl," said James without thinking, before mentally kicking herself. _Why don't you just announce your feelings about her in the Daily Prophet, idiot?_ he thought angrily.

Redbeard tactfully ignored his last comment and said, "It's a pity Dumbledore's not here – he's in Paris for that International Alchemy Conference. Otherwise, these goons would never have dared to do this." He paused, then continued, "Your friends – I'll take them back to Hogwarts now, from the fireplace downstairs. It's a fully functional Wizarding House – registered to a bloke who is dead now, so the Ministry wasn't able to detect Underage Magic here." With a glance at Evans, he added, "I'll come back for her – you can go ahead to St Mungo's, Kingsley will take you."

"Er – is it OK if I stay here until you come back to take Evans, Professor?" James asked offhandedly. Redbeard gave him a knowing look and said, "Of course, my dear boy – of course. Take care – and good work tonight." With a final smile and a reassuring pat on James's shoulder, the Professor strode out of the room.

James remained silent as the Healer rose and said, "She's all right now – just unconscious. We need to wait until she wakes up – the spell I used is a natural healing process; it doesn't allow the victim to regain consciousness until the very last remnants of the Curse are removed from the body."

James nodded and asked, "She can still travel by Floo, right?"

The Healer nodded and said, "Yes – there's no reason not to. Take care." With a final smile at him, she exited the room just as James called out, "Thanks!"

He was now alone in the room with the still-unconscious form of Lily Evans. He felt awful – it was his fault that she was lying in this state, all his fault. He knelt down beside her, and grasped her hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Evans," he whispered. Tears came to his eyes, but he blinked them back at once. "Thank you," he murmured, and gave her hand a quick squeeze just as Redbeard entered to room once more, followed closely by Kingsley.

"Everyone's in custody, Professor," the tall Auror reported. Redbeard nodded and said, "All right – now, take this young man to St Mungo's." Kingsley nodded and gave James a reassuring smile. "Ready, James?" he asked, as Redbeard levitated Evans's unconscious form and began to make his way to the fireplace downstairs. With a final look at their retreating profiles, he said, "Yep – I'm ready."

"Come along, then – Side-Along Apparition," said Kingsley, "We removed the Anti-Disapparition Jinx on this house, we should be able to Disapparate from here itself." He held out a hand, and James took it. He took a deep breath as Kingsley turned on the spot and they vanished into a swirl of nothingness…

XXXXX End of James's POV XXXXX

"And that's it," said Potter, coming to the end of his tale. "I arrived at St Mungo's, met Mum and Dad – Mum was OK, though she said she'd still feel the effects of the Cruciatus Curse for a few days. Dad's going to make a full recovery, too – he isn't thrilled about having to buy a new wand, though, he liked his old one."

Lily took in a deep breath as she pondered upon his tale. There was no doubt about it – Potter cared about her, that was for sure. She wasn't entirely wrong about the extent of his feelings – she supposed that she'd wrongly read his infatuation as love back at Slughorn's Christmas party, but he genuinely cared about her. She could tell that he felt unbelievably guilty that she'd been hurt…

With an effort, she reached for his hand, and clasped it delicately within hers. "Potter," she began gently, "I want you to stop blaming yourself. Please," she added firmly, as he opened his mouth to protest. "I made my choice – we all did, for that matter – to accompany you. If I had to do it again, I'd do the same thing – there was no way we'd have let you go by yourself, it was _suicide!_ Oh, and whatever happened to me – that's on _me_ and _me alone_. Well, perhaps the fault lies with the creep who Cursed me," she added as an afterthought, and was relieved to see the corners of his mouth twitch slightly. "But it is _not your fault_ , Potter. Don't blame yourself."

Silence fell between them, and Lily tried to read his thoughts in his hazel eyes. Finally, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said, "All right, then…" She nodded in satisfaction and added, "Oh, and by the way – thank you, Potter. If it hadn't been for your help, we'd both probably be dead by now."

"I could say the same about your fire barrier, Evans," he said, smiling slightly, and squeezing her hand lightly once again. "I supposed we helped each other out, didn't we?" She nodded again; withdrawing her hand, she looked away, staring at the ceiling…

"Er – there's something I want to tell you," said Potter tentatively, and she focused her gaze on him. What was he going to say? _Oh, God… I hope he doesn't ask me out again_ , she thought cynically. She nodded nonetheless, indicating for him to continue.

"Er – I'm through asking you out on a date," he said, and she was thrown; this was not what she'd expected. "You have made your feelings perfectly clear – and it is high time I respect that." He gazed directly into her eyes as he spoke, and she could tell that he was being honest.

"Er – thank you, Potter," she said uncertainly. He smiled nervously and said, "There is something else, too." He paused for a couple of seconds, before continuing quickly, "I really want to be your – friend." He gave her a hopeful glance, and she considered… He'd certainly helped her a lot over the past year, and though he'd annoyed her constantly, her assessment of his character wasn't wrong. She knew that he was a noble person – oh, he was surely arrogant and conceited, but then again, who in the world was flawless? He was smart, charismatic, and refreshingly honest… Plus, now that Severus was no longer her friend, she was under no obligation to take his feelings into account – _he clearly disregarded my own_ , she thought furiously. Her decision made, she looked directly into his eyes, which were still hopeful.

"I'd like that," she said, with a slow smile, and felt a faint blush on her cheeks. His face split into a relieved grin.

"So would I," he said simply. "And I'd like to start over, too – I'm James, James Potter." He held out his hand for her to shake.

She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness, but decided to humour him. "Lily Evans," she said, shaking his hand as firmly as she could, given the circumstances. His beaming grin widened. "Lily," was all he said, though. She hoped that she wouldn't regret her decision, but she was willing to give it a try…

She grinned, too; she couldn't help it. "James," she said lightly, nodding back at him, and the smile on his face was brighter than a million stars…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several people came to visit Lily over the next couple of days, ensuring that she didn't feel bored at all. Her friends called on her the next day, and there was a lot of swapping of stories as everyone narrated what they'd been up to… Lily found out that Peter and Mary had landed on top of a skyscraper and made their way to the bottom by descending nearly fifty flights of stairs to avoid detection by Muggles. Once inside the Ministry, Mary had lifted her Disillusionment Charm and pleaded with the watchwizard to let her through, effectively distracting him – while Peter sneaked in, Disillusioned… It was a simple yet effective way to ensure that all their bases were covered.

Lily had also told Liz about her new friendship with James Potter (who now referred to her by first name, and she was returning the favour), a fact that had interested her best friend very much. After listening intently to what had transpired between them, Liz had given her a knowing smile and a not-so-subtle wink, causing her to roll her eyes. Thankfully, Liz had refrained from making any more comments, other than the fact that she was happy that they were all friends now. To Lily's pleasure, Liz had also told her that Dumbledore had spoken to them all in his office, and proceeded to award Gryffindor fifty points each for their trouble… She was sure that these additional four hundred points would win them the House Cup that year, too – making it three in a row!

Lily had had two more surprise visitors – Mrs Potter had Flooed down to Hogwarts, and dropped in on her along with Dumbledore. Mrs Potter, with tears in her hazel eyes (so like James's) had proceeded to thank Lily profusely, something which had caused her to blush intensely… She'd asked about Mr Potter, and Mrs Potter had assured her that he would, indeed, be all right…

Dumbledore had listened to her tale intently, before saying, "Thank you, Miss Evans – that was most illuminating. It shows us the paramount importance we must place on the security of our figures of authority. Oh, and Miss Evans – well done. You have made me proud." He'd given her a benign smile, and her heart had lifted at his high praise…

To her fury, Severus had also tried to visit her. She'd pretended to be asleep when he'd sat next to her silently, before saying, "I'm sorry, Lily." Her heart had stirred with pity, but she'd hardened it; nothing was going to fix what he'd said to her… It wasn't just about the word; it was about the implications of it – the pureblood mania, the bigotry, the inclination to pursue the Dark Arts and 'cleanse' the world that was filled with 'filth' such as Muggles and Muggleborns… And so long as he failed to understand that, she couldn't even _think_ about forgiving him. Nay, Severus Snape had been cut out of her life.

Lily left the Hospital Wing two days after she'd been admitted into it, with only some minor pain in her ankle to remind her of the Curse she'd taken. Her friends had welcomed her back with great enthusiasm, and she'd spent her days out in the sun, enjoying her freedom from revision and studying. She'd proceeded to play a best-out-of-three series of Wizard's Chess with James, too – and had won all three matches (after being persuaded by him to play the last game as an attempt for him to salvage some pride), trouncing him in two of those. Peter had then proceeded to play with her, and he'd effectively brought her back down to earth by beating her in under twenty moves. He was just _too_ good for her.

"One of these days, I'm going to beat you, Peter," she said with a slight smile as they packed up the chessboard. Peter grinned and said, "I don't doubt that – though that day may not come for several years!" There was a mischievous glint in his eye, and James laughed and thanked him enthusiastically for saving his dignity. "Yeah, just let others do your dirty work, James," she taunted him good-naturedly. He grinned as she addressed him by his first name and said, "Nothing wrong with that – especially if others can do it better than you!" Lily had no counter to that, so she merely stuck out her tongue at him, causing him to guffaw some more.

Lily had also met Redbeard and proceeded to thank him, but the Professor had waved her gratitude aside, telling her instead how proud he was that his students had been daring and resourceful enough to take matters into their own hands. He'd also told her that he'd resigned that morning; the rescue mission had helped him understand how much he missed being an Auror, and he felt that he'd be of greater service out in the field. She'd been disappointed – he was a good teacher, but she supposed that at the end of the day, he was still on their side fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and she was OK with that.

The Leaving Feast rolled around, and Lily had a good time as she talked, laughed and ate with the rest. Her joy was complete when Gryffindor won the House Cup for the third year running… She'd noticed that the Headmaster had been discreet about their little adventure, presumably providing information only if someone asked for it… And as for the Daily Prophet, the entire credit for solving Mr and Mrs Potter's kidnapping had gone to the Auror Office, with the Minister for Magic declaring that the Ministry always 'stood by their own'. The roles of Lily and the others had been omitted for their own safety, and she wasn't complaining… A life with publicity was not what she desired, really.

Their trunks were packed, and it was time to leave for home once again. Lily and the others spent most of the train ride discussing the attack on ten Merseyrail stations in Liverpool – there had been more than twenty casualties, most of them Muggles. The mood was sombre as they spoke, and the resolve that Lily had made at the start of the year was stronger than ever – no doubt strengthened by their recent feat of overpowering more than fifteen (admittedly inexperienced) Death Eaters. _I'm going to join the war_ , she thought fiercely. _I'm not just sitting around… I'm going to fight._

As she re-entered the Muggle world through the enchanted barrier, she spotted her parents a little distance away, talking to Mr and Mrs Huntington. She hugged Liz and promised to visit over the holidays, and the pair of them began to make their way towards their parents –

"Lily! Liz! Over here!"

The familiar voice stopped them in their tracks, and they turned left to find James standing with his parents, grinning at them and beckoning them over. Lily was heartened to see that Mr Potter looked hale and hearty, and Mrs Potter gave her a beaming smile as she approached them with Liz in tow.

"Hello, girls," said Mr Potter, smiling at them. "I just wanted to thank you in person – for all your help. If it hadn't been for you, Heaven knows what might've happened…"

"It was our pleasure, Mr Potter," Lily said courteously, and Liz echoed her, grinning.

"James told me you were the one who deciphered my code, Lily," said Mrs Potter proudly, and Lily beamed. "It was Peter who helped me there, actually," she said honestly. "And once I knew what the code was, cracking it didn't take too long, especially with everyone else there…"

"Well – I'm glad our Jamie has friends like you both," said Mrs Potter, causing James to blush and exclaim softly, "Oh, c'mon, Mum!" Liz laughed, and Lily smirked as Mrs Potter said, "Sweetheart, even if you're seventy years old, you're still going to be our Jamie."

"You should all come to our house for dinner sometime during the holidays," said Mr Potter. "Yes – we'll make it on a weekend, when everyone's free. Jamie will write to you," he added, ignoring his son's protest at the nickname.

"Thank you, Mr Potter," Lily and Liz chorused. They shook hands with the older man, and Mrs Potter gave them both big hugs. Finally, James hugged Liz, shook hands with Lily and bade them goodbye, still looking faintly embarrassed.

"Bye, Jamie!" Lily called one last time, smirking brightly as Liz chuckled and James stuck his tongue out at her before turning around and following his parents. "That was interesting," said Liz, "Dinner at his house – should be fun, eh?"

"Maybe," mused Lily. "I dunno – I've never been to his house."

"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Liz as they came up to their parents. The customary round of hugs followed, and they parted ways, with Liz saying hurriedly, "You'll love their house – it's amazing! And don't forget to write!"

"Who were those people you and Liz stopped to talk to, Lily?" Mrs Evans asked curiously as they wheeled Lily's trolley to their car. Lily blushed slightly before saying, "They were parents of James Potter – one of the boys in my year."

"Ah, yes – the irritating kid you go on about all the time, isn't he?" said Mr Evans, his eyes twinkling. Lily's blush deepened. "I do _not_ go on about him all the time," she said defensively, and her father grinned. "Oh, yes, you do, sweetheart. For instance, here's what I know about him." He looked at her with a mock-thoughtful expression. "He's the kid who became team Captain of – er, _Quidditch_ , right?" he asked quickly, and she nodded. Her father ploughed on, "Let's see – he often beats you on your exams without appearing to study at all – you think he's too big for his boots – and wasn't he the one you were taking fitness tips from? I remember you mentioning it to Matt over Christmas…"

Lily was beetroot red by now. Did she really talk about James so much?

"Well – his parents seemed nice," said Mrs Evans, trying to come to her daughter's aid. Lily nodded vigorously and said, "Oh, they are – they're good people. In fact, they've invited us all – me, Liz, Marlene and the rest, that is – over for dinner sometime over the summer – on a weekend, they said!"

"Really?" said Mr Evans, as he loaded Lily's trunk into the boot of their car. "But – you can't _stand_ that boy, can you? Though you seemed to be quite civil to him right now," he added thoughtfully.

Lily smiled; nothing really got by her father, did it? "Well," she said carefully, "I suppose he's all right, really – in fact, we're friends now."

"You _are_?" asked her Mum as her Dad started the car. "That's nice – he's quite good-looking, isn't he?"

" _Mum!_ " Lily exclaimed, "I thought you were on _my_ side!"

Mrs Evans chuckled and said, "I'm just saying!" She proceeded to wink at Lily, who rolled her eyes. She leaned back on her seat, thinking… _He isn't so bad, really_ , she thought objectively. She'd admitted to herself before that she'd readily be friends with him if he wasn't such a prick to Severus and if he stopped annoying her by asking her out… _Well, the second of those has taken effect, and I don't care anymore about the first_ , she thought reasonably.

She smiled slightly. She had a good feeling about her budding friendship with James Potter…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:**

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has read this story, and special thanks to those who have left a review. I believe that in the past (almost) two years since I started to write this story, I have improved significantly as an author (I recently read the first few chapters again, and I myself can tell the difference). None of this would've been possible without your consistent feedback. So, thank you! And I hope you continue to read and review this story!

This is the final chapter in this story (relax, read on!). I'm going to write Lily and James's sixth and seventh years as a separate story, as a sequel to this one. It is a decision from a creative standpoint, for I believe it will allow me to go more into detail, and explore the characters some more. I will post the first chapter of sixth year soon, please stay tuned. Thanks!


	53. Sneak Peak

Thanks for the reviews, KJ, Anna, gumpty, Guest, CB and Potterhead 2005. You are awesome!

 **KJ** : I'm going to upload the first chapter of the sequel soon, very soon!

 **Anna** : Thanks! I'm glad to hear it, and I'm so happy you stuck it out till the end! I hope you will continue to read and review the sequel as well. And yes, I will put up the link when I post the sequel. Cheers!

 **gumpty** : Thanks! I'm very much active on this board. And by the way, canon-wise, James is a Chaser. The movie incorrectly depicts him to be a Seeker. He nicked the Snitch only to show off. Oh, and comments/complaints/constructive criticism is welcome! Please do read the sequel, too!

 **Guest** : I'm on it!

 **CB** : Glad to know. Stay tuned for the sequel! Oh, and as for the different spells, Google translate with Latin, French, German and Spanish is all I do! :-P

 **Potterhead 2005** : Thank you so much! The name of the sequel is Lily's Final Gift: Part Two (I know, creative, isn't it?). It'll be up soon!

Hello, dear readers. Here is a sneak peak into the sequel. I am going to be posting it soon… Until then, this should give you a flavour of what to expect. Cheers!

 **Sneak Peak**

"In any case – it isn't a coincidence that your other subjects are those required to become an Auror," said Mr Potter shrewdly. "What happened to becoming a world-famous Quidditch player?"

"It's the need of the hour, Dad," said James softly. "Voldemort is out there, spreading death and terror and destruction – d'you think I'm just going to sit around, doing nothing? Don't get me wrong, I love Quidditch," he said quickly, "But as long as Voldemort is a threat, I think I'd be wasting my talent and abilities if I become a professional Quidditch player. As soon as I'm of age – I'd like to help."

Mr Potter smiled. "Spoken like a true Gryffindor, son," he said proudly. "I never had any doubts about you and your abilities – and that incident last month reinforced that belief."

XXXXX

"Padfoot!" exclaimed James in disbelief. By the looks of it, his friend had flown in through James's open window on his broomstick. James knew that the ancient wards around Potter Mansion would admit Sirius, with Mr Potter having granted him permission to do so last year… "You sea-gherkin," James said, his eyes wide, " _What_ – in the name of _Morgana_ – are you _doing_ here – at _this_ time of the night?"

"Sea-gherkin?" repeated Sirius, nonplussed. "As in, sea cucumber?"

"No, I mean sea lion, you coelacanth! Blimey – what're you doing here?"

"I ran away," said Sirius simply, sitting down on James's bed, looking devastated. "I – I couldn't take it anymore – so, I came to the only place that made sense."

XXXXX

"What is the meaning of this, boy?" his father thundered. Sirius grinned disdainfully. "What does it look like? I'm leaving – I've had enough of you!"

"Stop him!" his mother shouted, but Mr Black merely gave him a cold glare. "You take one step out of this house, boy – we will _disown_ you!" he said evenly, but Sirius recognized the vicious undercurrent in his voice. He shook his head; he'd reached a point where he'd stopped wishing that things were different – he'd stopped caring what his parents thought. Their feelings didn't mean anything to him anymore.

"Don't you see, father?" he said calmly, holding Mr Black's gaze. " _I_ am disowning _you_. So long – I won't be seeing you!"

And with that parting shot, he cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and kicked off from the floor, flying out into the night.

XXXXX

 **Author's Note:**

Once again, thank you very much for following the story. I will post the first chapter of the sequel very soon, hopefully within the next twenty-four hours. Stay tuned!


	54. Footnote

**Footnote**

Hello, dear readers! This footnote is to specifically answer to a couple of requests regarding the sequel to this story. Unfortunately, these requests are from some kind guest reviewers, so I'm unable to PM them… Followers, sorry for the spam!

If you're looking for the sequel to Lily's Final Gift, do the following:

Click my profile hyperlink where it says By: FlashOfFlame at the top of the page. It will direct you to my profile, and my stories – which also include a couple of oneshots in case you're interested.

In my stories, click Lily's Final Gift: Part Two, and voila! It's done! Enjoy the sequel!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


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